The Flower in the Snow
by Blazeflare01
Summary: What if Naruto had a twin? What if, when she returned from the land of Snow, she told him of their origins? Kyuubi's a girl? What's up with Sasuke? Naruto X Fem. Kyuubi, Sasuke X OC no lemons Chapter 10 now up!
1. Prologue

The Flower in the Snow

Summary: What if Naruto had a twin? What if, when she returned from the land of Snow, she told him of their origins? Kyuubi's a girl? What's up with Sasuke? Naruto X Fem. Kyuubi, Sasuke X OC [no lemons

This story diverges from the actual story just before the Chuunin Exams, when Hana makes her return to Konoha.

Do me a favour and go easy on the flaming, ok? This is my first Naruto Fic, after all…

Oh, and btw: Rangiku:- her name comes from the Bleach character, but everything else to do with her, including appearance, is something that popped up randomly in my head. I mention this so that no-one puts in a review saying things like 'You're using a Bleach character! She's not yours!', because I know I'm not Kubo Tite, and it is NOT MATSUMOTO RANGIKU that I'm using. Thankyou.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the familiar characters, but I do own Rangiku and Hana.**

OOO

The Flower in the Snow: Prologue:

The sun rose over another new morning in Konoha. The pale amber light filtered over the village, flooding it with light. The Hokage tower was a brilliant red normally, but it redefined the colour on mornings like this. Enter the one problem that spoiled near-perfection: The Kyuubi was fast approaching, and the village Ninjas were truly very active on this morning in particular:

October the 9th.

Kyuubi was getting very close to Konoha, and wasn't showing signs of stopping. The demon fox just kept on coming no matter how many Ninjutsus or Genjutsus were thrown at it, and Taijutsus and most Kenjutsus were dead in the water, as no-one could get close enough.

Another matter didn't help: the 3rd Hokage and the 4th Hokage were frantically searching for more ways to defeat the demon, and had had minuscule successes, which had managed to irritate the demon, but nothing came up strong…

Until they looked at one of the last options left to them: a Seal.

The problem was that it required a massively powerful seal to seal away Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox demon. The kind of seal one cannot place on an inanimate object without daring it to shatter into thousands of fragments and risk releasing what it contains. It would require a willing animated object with a long lifespan to seal away Kyuubi.

"A child would do it…"

"Arashi, are you mad!?! You are a Hokage! You have a responsibility to these people! All of them!"

"Don't you think I know that!?! If we don't do this, hundreds may die! The village could be completely destroyed!"

The 4th Hokage, the man called Arashi, paused to let this sink in, and then he continued:

"… I don't like the idea of this any more than you do, but we've tried everything else we could find available to us… and almost nothing has worked at all…"

"And what if we can find another way? Would you give up on this idea?"

"I would, but it's fast becoming the only way…"

"Do you even have a seal in mind, anyway?"

"Long ago, my clan invented a seal which, to this day, has only ever been used once. I found out about it only recently…" He pulled out a scroll and opened it before continuing:

"… It's called the Shiki Fuujin. It was designed for sealing powerful beings within other living beings, but from its' first use until now, its' use has been strictly forbidden by the clan heads. It is believed to be dangerous and unstable because it uses the sealed being's chakra to imprison itself, along with another method of releasing that chakra over time to make the sealed being weaker by using the host's chakra as a filter. 27 generations ago, it was used to seal Orochi, the snake demon, away for an entire generation, but sadly, it didn't kill him: he simply lost four of his 10 tails, two of which he has never recovered, and probably will not for quite some time to come."

"10 tails?"

"Yes. Compared to Kyuubi's nine."

"But it only works for a generation?"

"Longer if the Host lives longer. If we were to modify the seal, then it is possible that Kyuubi will be imprisoned for long enough to lose all nine tails-worth of power."

"Modifying a forbidden seal is dangerous, Arashi…"

"But think of what it could achieve if it works…"

"If the demon awakes-"

"It won't awake without reason."

"Reason?" Arashi shifted around slightly so he could better face the 3rd.

"The Shiki Fuujin has two more facets to it."

"Two more functions?"

"Yes. If the demon attempts to break free, it will have to fight its' own chakra, so if it tries too hard it will kill itself. The demon is only as powerful as the host and the seal allow it to be."

"… And the other facet?"

"The demon's pride is at stake even when trapped, so it will try to keep its' prison in top-of-the-range condition."

"… So…?"

"… So it will also heal the host at an incredible rate, and might also provide a surge of chakra when needed. It's all dependant upon how proud Kyuubi is as to whether the host will get this treatment, but there is a big probability that they will."

"… That is… IF we DO decide upon this."

"Even my Rasengan is useless against Kyuubi: no-one can get close enough. I doubt there's enough power in any long-ranged jutsus you could find, even in the Uchiha vaults, to get rid of Kyuubi. Sorry Professor…"

"So… We don't have a choice?"

"Unfortunately… we don't. I will need your help to modify the seal, as well."

"And what of the Child? We cannot just ask a villager to give up their child even for the sake of ridding the village of Kyuubi's threat, Arashi…"

"I have discussed this with a woman who is willing to see the reasons clearly…"

"There is someone in this village? Who?"

"My wife."

"You're married?"

"I married Rangiku in secret. I am aware I have made many powerful enemies, and I don't want them targeting my family. Surely you understand that, right?" the 3rd nodded once. Arashi had made a good point about his enemies.

"What else is there to think about with this… Shiki Fuujin… before we could use it?" the 4th looked downwards slightly; he didn't want to say this part.

"It will kill the one who places it."

**10:37 pm; October 10****th**

The 3rd and 4th Hokages were reluctant to sacrifice anyone for the Shiki Fuujin, but in the end they had few other choices, and they had to do it. They had spent the entire night and the entire day afterwards modifying and then re-perfecting the Shiki Fuujin Seal so that it wouldn't rampantly overpower Arashi's child's Chakra reserves, and added another feature of security: an extra chakra link. Now if the host died, Kyuubi would die with them. This turned the Shiki Fuujin from a method of temporary imprisonment into an almost inescapable and slow death sentence for the nine-tailed fox. They also designed it so that eventually it would act similarly to the normal Shiki Fuujin in that the host's chakra would filter out the demon's, but would at first only be released very, very slowly through the seal instead. This lessened the strain on the host's Chakra coils at first, and gave the child the chance it would need to grow into at least a teenager before the seal stopped filtering out the demon's chakra for them completely. Now only one piece of the puzzle was missing: Arashi's wife was expecting, but hadn't given birth yet. Time was running short: the nine-tailed fox had almost reached Konoha.

"Arashi!"

That was good news from his friend.

"Hokage sir!"

That one was very, very bad news from an ANBU.

What it meant was that his child was right on cue, but unfortunately Kyuubi had made it to Konoha's protective wall earlier than he had been hoping for. Time would now be of the essence. He hurried to the wall to help see off Kyuubi's attacks until word was sent to him that everything was ready. He was thinking the entire time about what his child would be like when they were older. He might not ever know for sure, after all…

He got to the wall to find it filled with hairline cracks. He could hear Kyuubi's unceremonious slamming and the screams of the Ninjas the demon was killing like flies.

"This is getting serious… even these cracks in a wall like this…"

**A/N: His point is true: Konoha's protective wall is at least a METRE thick and God-only-knows-how-high. Anything which can even crack it must have some serious power!**

"Arashi! I've brought them!"

The 3rd was already back, carrying two bundles.

Wait-'them'? And two bundles? It couldn't be…

"Twins?" the 3rd nodded once again. Then…

"How's Rangiku?" the 3rd's slightly cheerful disposition fell, and he shook his head. He handed the children to the 4th.

"Are they named?"

"The girl's name is Hana, but the boy hasn't been named yet. Rangiku thought it would be best for you to name him."

"A name… what about Naruto?" The boy who was in his image smiled and giggled, and Arashi was somewhat reminded of Obito Uchiha by him. His sister was sleeping, and looked an awful lot like Rangiku: she even had her snowy white hair, although right now it was tufty, and her slightly fluttering eyelids showed that she was dreaming deeply. Arashi wondered if she had her mother's Chestnut eyes as well…

"She's more like her mother than she'll probably ever know…" Arashi mused, smiling sadly. He missed Rangiku already.

"Really…?" Arashi smiled and chuckled.

"You could put all the alarm clocks in Konoha by her bedside, but Rangiku wouldn't hear them. I remember doing that once…"

"All of them?" the 4th simply chuckled some more and nodded once.

"She didn't take too kindly to the fact I'd done it when she found out, but it's a true story."

"Hokage sir!"

Arashi cursed the world-he'd hoped to have a chance to spend more time with them, but Kyuubi wasn't going to stop for a simple family time. Damned fox.

"So which child?"

"Hm?"

"Which child will get-"

"I wish I'd thought about this sooner, actually… Hana would certainly have many problems if the idea of the Jinchuuriki being viewed as heroic backfires on us, but Naruto would also have his share of troubles… Damn, this is difficult! Sarutobi, may I have your word as Hokage that you will take care of them?"

"You have my word."

"Can you… take care of Hana for the moment?"

"So, you will seal Kyuubi into Naruto?"

"Yes."

"Shouldn't I do it? You are more capable of defending the village if it comes under attack again, and these two will need a parent or two…"

"If I'm not around, then your knowledge is the only evidence other than their genes that links me to them. They're safer that way, and besides, you didn't get the title of Hokage for nothing-that much I DO know about you Sarutobi… You'll do fine!" And with that, the 4th handed over the newborn girl.

"Well… I guess this is it…"

"I'll probably join you inside 20 years, Arashi. Suffice to say I'll have something new to say to you about your kids by then." Sarutobi smiled at Arashi, a reassuring smile.

"Just remember… I told you the plan, right?"

"Yes. They will not learn of their lineage until they can fend off the vast majority of your enemies. On that I give my word as well. They shall go by their mother's maiden surname."

"Thank you…" And with those two words, Arashi, the 4th Hokage, left to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto using the modified Shiki Fuujin seal.

**11:17 pm; October 10****th**

"VICTORY!!!" one of the guards atop the wall shouted.

The 3rd smiled as well, but he knew the real cost of this victory. Konoha would tomorrow mourn its' 4th Hokage, and Sarutobi would have to introduce Naruto and Hana to the village tomorrow, as well. He hoped that Arashi's plan for his children would work, especially in Naruto's case, as it wouldn't do to have him be picked on…

**Summary of the next 12 years:**

Sadly, Arashi's wish for his son to be seen as the hero and not a demon, like the one imprisoned in him, would not be granted tomorrow, or even for another 12 years. Sarutobi's pleas to the general populous to be kind to the boy went largely ignored. His sister Hana was nearly raped at the age of 5, just because she was his sister, and Sarutobi was forced to separate the twins to help Hana. He ordered a special Joinin instructor to take her to the land of Snow, where he knew she would be relatively safe, and teach her the ways of the ninja. Hana had, at first, refused point blank to leave, as she didn't trust anyone except Naruto, their guardian, and Sarutobi himself, after her near-abuse and the trauma it caused her. But, she did eventually learn to trust people again, and went with the woman. Naruto would then spend the next 7 years tuning into the familiar blonde, blue-eyed, hyperactive, orange-jumpsuited prankster Ninja we all know and like; the one with the 'special' jutsu that even floored the 3rd Hokage. And Hana? We're about to find out…

**A/N: You all know the 'special' Jutsu I mean.**

OOO

Please review. I'd like to know if anyone does want me to continue this. It wasn't easy to think of things like how the Yondaime might have discovered the Shiki Fuujin seal, and how Naruto might have been born, as I've only got a few clues being only as far into the story as the third part of the Chuunin exam, plus quite a few blurted spoilers from my friends at school (Stuff like the Yondaime's name).

Anyway, please let me know what you think. I'm a little nervous this didn't turn out right…

blazeflare01


	2. Chapter 1: She's Back!

The Flower in the Snow

Summary: What if Naruto had a twin? What if, when she returned from the land of Snow, she told him of their origins? Kyuubi's a girl? What's up with Sasuke? Naruto X Fem. Kyuubi, Sasuke X OC [no lemons

This story diverges from the actual story just before the Chuunin Exams, when Hana makes her return to Konoha.

Wow, that was a bit sooner than I expected for feedback on the prologue… Anyway, this chapter is, as an experiment by me, written using a different style from the prologue, and I'll possibly switch back dependant upon reviews. Okay, here's the disclaimer:

**I don't own Naruto or any of the familiar characters, but I do own Rangiku and Hana. Saying I owned the regular Naruto series would be both illegal and wrong.**

… Now those lawyers should get the message. On with the fic!

OOO

The Flower in the Snow: Chapter 1: She's Back!

**Training ground 7:**

"… Yet another lovely day in Konoha…" The birds were chirping, the squirrels were out and about in the trees, and Naruto was downing Ramen in quick succession.

**With Sakura:**

"Okay, scratch 'lovely'…" _Our team-mate is downing his food at a rate that makes horses look polite._ "… What I wanna know is can he eat that much? Kakashi-sensei? Any ideas?"

"Sakura, this is Naruto we're talking about… Who knows?" _Kakashi-sensei's absorbed by his book-yet again-damn perverted Icha Icha Paradise…_

"Sakura, that may have been a thought, but I heard it." _Uh-oh… I better change the subject quick… Hey! Where'd Sasuke get to?_

**With Kakashi:**

_How can she think that about something she's never read? I guess there's some things that some people agree on while others don't… Shame, too- it's such a good book!_

"Oh yeah, where's Sasuke?"

"Who cares?" Sakura hit Naruto square on the top of his head for that comment-Ouch. _I definitely feel your pain Naruto… Rin hit me just like that when she found out I started reading Icha Icha Paradise underage-definitely not fun…_

"I think he went home-something about raiding the Uchiha vaults for information on the Sharingan."

"Shouldn't we go help him?" _My dear student Sakura, if only you understood…_

"No. The things in those vaults are most likely things Sasuke wants kept secret within his blood family, so we don't qualify."

"But-" _I don't want this distraction-it's preventing me from reading, and if she doesn't have it explained to her, it could be bad for the team…_

"No. He may consider it an insult to his family's pride, and then the team's going to be what suffers for it. That's bad, what with you three about to enter the Chuunin exams-and on that note, let's not forget why we're at this training field…" _I really don't like putting people down like this, but I've grown used to doing it for the good of the team overall-Sakura's not really ready to be a Chuunin Kunoichi at this point, but if she were to improve…_

_Naruto, on the other hand, has potential equal to Sakura's, if not greater, and has shown that he can be intelligent if the situation calls for it. He is at least close to ready. Sasuke has more potential than Sakura for sure, and possibly bests Naruto for it, too. But hey, he has a bloodline: what can you do? I myself know more than 1000 techniques, using this Sharingan eye of Obito's… Sasuke could probably learn them all from me, if I gave him the chance. He would just need his Sharingan, which I'm pretty sure he activated in Wave. He's more than ready… His team might be the only letdown, but if they keep in mind what I've taught them, then at least Sasuke will get through-possibly Naruto, as well. Sakura getting through at this stage is probably wishful thinking, though… it's a shame I only have so much faith in her, but in the end, she tries and that's what matters-I guess…_

**With Naruto:**

_Owie! That hurt! How could Sakura be so mean? Well… I guess there's always my… Sister? Why'd she pop into my head all of a sudden? I'm sure I was trying to think about-umm… what was I thinking about? Oh yeah: RAMEN!!!_

**Regular View:**

With this thought, Naruto began to sing some VERY annoying songs about Ramen. It wasn't long before Sakura had strung him up by his ankles from a tree branch using chakra, and put a cup of prepared Miso Ramen on the ground just outside of his reach. Kakashi then went back to reading with a hint of sadistic amusement in his visible eye. Sakura got back to nibbling away at her lunch, which was decidedly smaller than Naruto's. Speaking of, he'd gotten impatient at reaching for the ramen already:

"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU! OW! HOT! HOT! HOT!" Sakura and Kakashi just sweatdropped.

"… I should have known…" (Sakura)

"… Only Naruto would do that…" (Kakashi)

"I didn't know we were training by torturing the idiot… I would have joined you sooner…" Sasuke walked onto the training grounds, his amusement at Naruto's suffering showing clearly in an un-Uchiha-like way.

"Shut up and get me down from here!"

"I like you better that way."

"Smartass!"

"Loser."

"How many sticks have you got up your a-"

"That's enough! Sakura, get Naruto down from there-he's just being more annoying and picking fights with Sasuke to pass the time."

"Not that I want to, but alright…"

Before releasing Naruto, Sakura shot him a glare which blatantly said 'If you start singing again your head is MINE!'

**With Naruto:**

_Whoa! Sakura looks scary! I guess she doesn't like my singing… Damn, there was plenty more where that came from, too…_

_Sakura released the chakra bonds holding my feet against the tree. The bad bit wasn't the release: it was the landing. Or I should say the lacking of a plan for the landing…_ _Ouch._

"That has got to hurt… Naruto, can you still train, or did that break your neck?" (Kakashi)

"Heh heh… it takes more than that to put me out of the fight!"

"… Well go practice, then. Your Chakra control's still pretty basic."

"WHAT!?! I still have to climb trees!?!"

"You yell as if it's my fault th-" Kakashi _saw Sakura getting right into the swing of bellowing at me again, so he went back to reading that damn book again. Damn pervert…_

"NARUTO!!! STOP BOTHERING KAKASHI-SENSEI AND GO CLIMB THE TREES!!!" _Man, Sakura's scary today… Guess I'd better go do it then…_

**With Sakura:**

_OOOOHHHHHHHHH!!! WHY DOES HE HAVE TO BE SUCH A PAIN IN THE BACKSIDE!?!_

'_Because he was born an idiot?' (Inner Sakura)_

_Shut up! I don't need your input!_

'_Sure you don't… You say that now, but sooner or later you'll need me around!'_

_I'm going to ignore you for now._

'_Fine! Be that way, Bitch!'_

_What did she just call me?_

'_Humph. You can't even ignore me! HAH!'_

_I have to focus… leave me alone… just for a minute…_

'_Fine… Whatever…'_

**With Sasuke:**

_I must focus… To kill 'Him', I'm going to need all of the expertise I can muster… all of the skills I can learn, I'll need all he strength I can build, and most importantly, I'll need the Mangekyou Sharingan… That would at least put me on equal terms with him… Too bad I didn't learn much in Wave, but I've gotta make the best of the experience I gained there… And to kill 'Him', I will need the strength and skills I'm developing now… as well as all those I will learn in the future… The material in the family vaults is impressive, to say the least, but it hasn't got much on the Mangekyou… I'll need to Kill my best friend for that, that much I'm certain, but there's little real description of what it's capable of doing, short of asking 'Him' himself, but maybe that's a good thing: maybe the entire family might have decided to get it if that information was written down in the vaults, and a mass slaughter might have occurred anyway… well, that's not important right now, so I won't reflect on it too much. Time to practice those Jutsus I found…_

"HEY NARUTO!" Great. I don't need Kiba around for this. I'd better get the idiot over to him quick.

"Naruto, you have someone on your case again."

**With Naruto:**

_What… again? How many times has Kiba messed with my training? Ow! Okay-note to self: no thinking about stuff while tree walking until it becomes second nature… Ow…_

"That's gotta hurt… ah well, it's Naruto, he'll be back on his feet soon…" _I just say what comes naturally:_

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!?!" _At the fact he made me lose focus; miffed describes me pretty well. He had better have a good excuse…!_

**With Kiba:**

_What a Dumbass! He just fell off that tree! HAHAHAHAHAHA! I can't help but smirk like Uchiha on this one!_

"You forgot something important: it's the 15th of June today!" _If he can't remember, then I'll give another reminder: it's gonna hurt 'cause of Sakura, but it'll be worth it for the look on his face!_

**With Naruto:**

_15__th__ June… why does that ring a bell? I can't remember what's so important about today… Damn. Knowing Kiba, I'm gonna have to sign my death warrant for now…_

"… Give me a clue!" _Kiba is smirking evilly now-my death at someone's hands is now assured…_

"Someone white, brown, and with a peach I'd like to bite!" _He couldn't mean…_

"Oh SHIT! She'll kill me! I'd better go!"

"Hey Naruto, care to tell ole' Kakashi who you're dating?"

"I'm not dating anyone! My SISTER gets back TODAY!"

"What's she like?" (Sakura)

"Erm… Kiba's pretty much described her as she is now… Personally I haven't seen her in 7 years… I'd better go!" _I'm now pegging it through town to the gate on the far side, where I hope to catch some hint of my sister._

**With Sakura:**

'_Someone white, brown, and with a peach Kiba'd like to bite…' (Inner Sakura)_

_A peach he'd like to bite? What a PERVERT!_

'_GET HIM! CHA!'_

"KIBA!!!" _When I'm done with him, his MOM won't recognise him!_

'_YOU GO GIRL! CHA!'_

**With Kakashi:**

_I think I'll ignore this and read my book… Yeah… that's what I'll do…_

**With Sasuke:**

_I don't need that going on in the background. I'm following the idiot for a change-hopefully his sister won't be another fangirl… Hopefully…_

"SQUEAL! IT'S SASUKE!!!"

_More fangirls… Just my luck… Time to… RUN!_

**With Naruto:**

_Is that squealing I heard? So Sasuke's following me… Why? It's not as if…_

_Oh right. He must want my sister to bow to the mighty Uchiha asshole. AS. IF. Oh wait… those are fangirls, and my sister might kill me…_

… _An evil plot is forming… Heh heh… Time for payback…_

**Regular view:**

Naruto fell back to level his distance from the gate with Sasuke's.

"After we turn the corner, use the Transformation skill. I'll change into you, and you should change into me. Go find sis for me: her name's Hana. She has white hair and brown eyes. Take her back to the training field. I'll draw off the fangirls for you. Alright… NOW!"

They turned the corner, and immediately used the transformation skill. 'Sasuke' turned to 'Naruto' while still running.

"South gate. Now go!"

'Naruto' nodded and turned away. 'Sasuke' smirked. The real Sasuke didn't know what he was in for, and hadn't asked what the catch to the deal was…

'Sasuke' continued to run in the direction of the Uchiha compound, and safety.

OOO

Heh heh heh… Poor Sasuke… he has no idea… XD

Well, we're about to see some sparks: the siblings haven't heard from each other in 7 years, so they have arguments to catch up on! LOL See you all next chapter (I hope)!

blazeflare01


	3. Chapter 2: She's Bitchy!

The Flower in the Snow

At the end of this chapter, I'm starting a poll for a more minor plot point. This plot point could potentially become major, however. It's all down to the choices made.

**I don't own Naruto or any of the familiar characters, but I do own Rangiku and Hana. If you didn't like the prologue or Chapter 1, then you probably shouldn't read this.**

OOO

The Flower in the Snow: Chapter 2: She's Bitchy!

**Training ground 7; with Sakura:**

_Eh? Where'd Sasuke get to? He wouldn't have gone after…_

_Would he really follow Naruto? Somehow I doubt it, but I get the feeling that's what happened. Would he honestly find the dead-last worthy of note? Maybe I'll ask him_ _later, when he gets back. Wait… what's that sound? It's like a…_

RUMBLE

_Fan girls? Maybe he didn't leave after all… wait-fan girls here in the third training area? They shouldn't even know about this area!_

'_Ya… this could be bad… for us…'_ (Inner Sakura)

… _Can't argue with that logic…_

**With 'Sasuke':**

_Holy-! This bastard's popular! Better get into the compound-and quick! Dammit Sasuke, why didn't you give me any tips on this!?! Oh well, he'll regret it soon enough…_ _Heh heh…_

**With Sakura:**

_Is that… really Sasuke? His expression isn't the normal one he has in that situation, and that's sure as hell not his chakra signature… Naruto? Oh he's gonna pay for this…_

'_Heh. Leave him, his plans NEVER work. Just go with it if he's pretending to be Sasuke-you might end up not getting hurt by it that way.'_

_How true. Anyway, back to meditation…_

**With Kakashi:**

_Finally! Zero background noise! At last I can read Icha Icha in peace!_

"Watcha readin'?"

_I should have known Kiba would nose into this…_

**With 'Sasuke':**

_Hmm… I have an idea…_

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A 'Sasuke' Shadow clone appeared.

"You know what to do! Go get the stuff!"

The clone nodded and dashed in a different direction. The real 'Sasuke' couldn't go instead-it would let the fangirls in on the secret. He just continued running.

**With 'Naruto':**

She was dressed in a tank top with low neckline and a high base hem that revealed some midriff, with matching-coloured short skirt, regular sandals, and her Konoha emblem was on her waist, looking similar to a belt. The emblem itself was close to her left hip. Her upper left arm was bandaged, as was her lower left leg, her entire right arm, and her neck.

_Hmm… White hair; check. Brown eyes; check. Resemblance to Naruto; check. That's her, alright…_

**Regular view:**

'Naruto' walked up to the girl.

_FIRST BIG MISTAKE. _(Hana)

"YOU'RE LATE!!!"

"Sorry Sis, I was busy…"

_SECOND BIG MISTAKE._(Hana)

"… Training's pretty tough right now. Come on! I'll take you to see my friends!"

_THREE STRIKES AND YOU'RE OUT._(Hana)

SMASH!!!

Hana had just socked Sasuke square on the jaw, sending him through a shop front and undoing the transformation as well. Sasuke was pretty shocked, and Hana wanted to know what he'd done with her brother. She towered over him as she asked him questions.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!?"

"S… Sasuke U… Uchiha…"

"WHERE IS MY BROTHER?!?"

"U… uh… w… well…" Hana closed some of the distance to grab his shirt and add to the intimidation factor.

"Yeeeesssssss???"

"He… He's kinda helping me with a… fangirl problem…"

"You didn't HURT him did you?" Hana's expression and the emphasis on the word 'HURT' gave Sasuke the distinct impression that he definitely didn't want to-ever.

"N… No… N… Never…" He decided that he envied Naruto with the fangirls chasing him now. This was just scarier than any memories of his mother scolding him-at least Mikoto wouldn't hit her son. Hana, on the other hand, seemed to have no problems with inflicting pain on him. It was more scary than Itachi in some ways…

Well shit.

At least Itachi let him off with having to watch the clan get slaughtered for three days straight. Much less scary than the prospect of being unable to revive his clan altogether…

And although he had pride at times, this definitely wasn't one of those times…

He'd been outsmarted by the dead-last.

_Well shit._

**With 'Sasuke':**

_That clone should be ready by now…_

A mental nudge came from the clone.

_That's the signal… Okay, I'm headed there now!_

'Sasuke' took a left, then a 45 degree right, and ended up in the high street.

_One… two… three… four… this one!_

He took the left into a darkened alley and wall jumped all the way to the roofs, leaving the clone as bait. The fangirls took the corner and came face-to-face with the trap:

Water bombs filled with syrup, over a set of timed exploding notes.

The 'Sasuke' clone smirked, and poofed out of existence as the exploding notes went off, covering the girls in maple syrup from the water bombs.

Undoing the transformation, Naruto looked over the edge and bit back a laugh:

The girls were absolutely covered in syrup. Naruto (rather correctly,) guessed it would take hours to get that stuff out of their hair.

Resisting the temptation to laugh, Naruto made his way back to the training field, once again transforming to assume Sasuke's form, to avoid suspicion from Hana's direction.

Little did he know that Hana had everything figured out after interrogating the real Sasuke. They were really going to suffer for this one… Both of them…

**Training ground 7; With 'Sasuke':**

'Sasuke' came onto the training grounds and sat down where Sasuke was meditating before he left.

_This patch is cold… almost as cold as the bastard himself…_

SQUEAL "Sasuke! You're back!"

"Of course. You thought I'd just miss half a day for no reason?"

"No… You just seem out of character to up and away during training…"

"And with that around…" 'Sasuke' pointed at Kiba "…I'm supposed to train how?"

"HEY!!! WATCH YOUR MOUTH UCHIHA!!! OH WAIT SORRY THAT'S YOUR ASS!!!"

_Son of a… _'Sasuke' put on the 'Uchiha scowl'™. This Inuzuka was going down…

"Hn… at least you can figure out when I'm too confusing for your normal wits…"

"SON OF A-"

"Hey Naruto!"

_Sasuke? Well SHIT._

"There goes the act…"

SMACK!!! CRASH!!! POOF!

"Ow… Hiya Hana… Heh heh he…"

THUD.

**Normal View:**

"That's gotta hurt…"

"I thought he insulted you Kiba?" (Sasuke)

"Nah… that's just part of the act. I'll let it go this time… especially after a backhand like that…"

"There's another one for you here if you don't move, _Inuzuka_…"

Hana spoke the clan name like it was venom, clearly having no love lost between Her and the Inuzukas. Sadly, Kiba didn't know when to take a hint.

"What's with the attitude?"

**With Hana:**

_You should have run DOG boy!!!_

SMACK!!! CRASH!!!

"OW!!! WHAT THE HELL?!?"

WHOOSH!

**Normal View:**

"… Hana, you need to calm down…"

"LIKE HELL, KAKASHI!!! I'LL KICK HIS ASS!!!"

"That's exactly why you should calm down…" Kakashi had Hana in a stranglehold, and the Icha Icha Paradise Novel was away, so doubtless this wasn't funny. If Kakashi was serious, then it was (at least to Team 7,) a big deal.

"… And don't think for a second about getting revenge for your fourth birthday… The Inuzukas have since changed their tune for the most part, and the clan pays towards Naruto's apartment now. They've changed their view." This, however, seemed to wake up something in Hana which really wasn't light. She stopped struggling, but her voice held venom still, and it was as cold as ice.

"You can't see them, but the bite marks are still there. They became permanent scars."

"What? Bite marks?"

"There's one on my upper left arm. Under the bandages. Take a look if you don't believe it."

Apparently Kakashi wasn't a believer.

Then he saw it, along with the other conscious genin. (Naruto is well out of it by now)

… _Shit… _(Kakashi)

_Ow… that must have hurt… _(Sakura)

_Our clan… did that? _(Kiba)

_I definitely respect her now… for a kid that must have hurt like a... well… a bitch… _(Sasuke)

Such was the scene that the Third Hokage visited. The look on his face when he saw Kiba, then Hana, then Hana's arm out of its' bandages; did not bode well.

Somehow, the old man had the distinct feeling that this would be a long day…

A very long day…

OOO

Ooh… this is getting interesting… kinda… What'll happen? Why is the third even there? Just what led the Inuzuka to let their dogs on the twins? All this and waaayyy more later on!

Alright, now for a POLL! I want you guys to do me a favour and tell me something at the end of your reviews: I already have certain characters set on this, but I want you to select a character out of the rookie 9 + 3 + 1, sans Rock Lee for obvious reasons, and tell me what summoning contract(s) you think they should have! There is a limit of 2 contracts to a ninja including voided contracts, and I already have one thought out for Hana, with another (possibly unprecedented) contract idea for her to use if nothing more appropriate is suggested. Even if an alternate for Naruto isn't suggested, he WILL HAVE A NON-CANON SUMMONING CONTRACT! You have the details, so please vote people!

Ja ne!

blazeflare01


	4. Chapter 3: Sakura Gets Replaced

The Flower in the Snow

WOW!!! That's a lot of reviewers! Okay, I guess I'd better reply to some and answer a few questions, right?

OOO

TheGreatChan: Okay, here's the thing: I'm not really used to that form of writing anyways, and anyone else objects to it I'll probably stop using that method anyway. I was trying to find my boundaries, all in the name of self improvement. Glad you like it thus far!

Hikari Mitsukai and Tetri: Okay.

Ribbon-chan03: Wolves for Hinata? That could be interesting… I'll see how I can fit in Hina/Shino as well, but I can't promise it'll get mentioned much if at all…

ADD Kyuubi Naruto: Wow, okay… um, you do realise this is fanfiction, right? Okibimaru gave me some pointers when I started on You don't always have to make sense, so long as it works in the story.

2. Following Canon is advisable at first, but better fanfics split from it at some point or another.

3. Go with the flow. If it doesn't seem right, then it isn't.

So that's the point of that difference: not because I want Humans to seem more powerful, (and because I didn't describe the sealing method you can't really say I didn't involve Shinigami for the sealing, just that I didn't describe the sealing well enough.) but because I put value on the soul's existence. I actually reflected some of my spiritual values in that. Also, about Kyuubi and Orochi, Orochi is just a plot device I used to introduce the idea of Shikifuujin, it has no impact on the story, and Kyuubi can't have INFINITE chakra, reason being that if the chakra was infinite in the true sense of the word, then Kyuubi's killer intent could kill off every human on the planet when tested. THIS HAS OBVIOUSLY NOT HAPPENED YET AS OF A RESULT OF ANY DEMON, LET ALONE KYUUBI. There's a big difference between being pseudo-immortal and having infinite chakra. Shukaku's existence within the canon story proves this. If you want to debate it, then PM me and I'll send you my MSN address so we can discuss it over messenger.

Blood-angel 666: Okay, you have a good point there… best I can do is say this: the more popular characters for summons so far seem to be Naruto (with foxes and/or spirits), Hana (at least I'm guessing it's Hana, with dragons), and Hinata (with wolves). They are the most popular voted characters thus far, and they'll probably be the first (if not only) ones to get summoning contracts. It's important to note that I've gotten further though the canon story now, and due to my friends I'm aware there's a time skip. This means that although some of them will get summoning contracts, THEY WILL NOT GET THEM AT THE SAME TIME. Any characters who might have summoning contracts wouldn't get them until or after the time skip. The sole exception to the 'they don't have summoning contracts yet' rule is HANA. She already has a summoning contract I thought of before I called the poll, and it's quite freaky-I'm sure you'll love it (if you keep reading to find out, that is).

L is 4 LOVE: I have to assume that you like this fic, if you wanted the second chapter that badly! Sorry, but my internet was down for a while. (T.T)

As for the summon poll thing, you add to the end of your review what character you want to sign a summoning contract, then what contract they should sign. I'm happy with up to 2 contracts for each person, and if more suggestions than 2 are made, I'll choose the ones that have the most votes, or fit best into the story if they have similar numbers. Does that help?

Novak 112: Umm… thanks, I think… anyway, you want more chapters? Here's 3, and I'm currently working on 4 (this is the last pre-prepared chapter). I'm also try to do the totally inadvisable and balance this fic with my Bleach fic (Teenager for the Week)-not a good idea, but fun to do. Sorry if it annoys or inconveniences you in any way.

scione: How to explain this… Naruto couldn't go because he didn't have to go. The village council and the Hokage probably wouldn't have allowed it unless they absolutely HAD to. It's a good idea to keep an untested seal close to someone who could correct any problems with it. That's actually probably the only reason that Naruto's training away from the village by Jiraiya was allowed to go on for nearly 3 years in the canon story; Jiraiya's a seal master, so it shouldn't be a problem for him to change much if something happened to the seal holding Kyuubi.

A mask? This is a plot point that bugs me too… Should it be a mask, or his actual face? Okay, so I've got this decided already, but you'll have to read on if you wanna know.

Finally, what do you mean by 'dragons'? I know you are referring to summons here, but which character are you on about? Do you mean Hana, or Sasuke? Sakura or Shino(Scary thought)? I need to know the character that signs the contract. That's going to help me with deciding some points of the plot.

OOO

Anyway… back to my other form of writing.

…Well I've got to vary it to catch interest, right?

**I don't own Naruto or any of the familiar characters, but I do own Rangiku and Hana. Blah blah blah.**

You get the idea…

OOO

The Flower in the Snow: Chapter 3: Sakura Gets the Replacement Treatment

**Training Ground 7:**

Sarutobi had asked Kiba to bring his mom and sister to see him in his office later on. He turned his attention to Team 7 and Hana.

"As of tomorrow, Sakura Haruno will no longer be on team 7. Hana Uzumaki will be her replacement."

"3…" (Kakashi)

"2…" (Sasuke)

Everyone except Sakura in the immediate area blocked their ears.

"1…" (Naruto)

"WHAAAAAATTT!!!!?????!!!!!"

**In Kyuubi's Cage:**

The great fox itself had four of its tails stuffed into its ears at that. It removed them and grumbled.

"Damn bubblegum-haired banshee…"

**Back on Training Ground 7:**

Naruto removed his hands from his ears and joked:

"Can you scream that any louder Sakura? I don't think they quite heard you in Iwa…" He got bopped on the head for that. A large lump formed.

"Why the big reaction? It's not like you like one of these two dorks, right?" (Hana)

Sakura said nothing to that, instead giving Hana a harsh glare. Kakashi whispered to Hana:

"Sakura's performance in a controlled environment is extremely high, but she shows little to no skill in an actual battle, and her tendencies to pay attention only to Sasuke most times I'm not addressing them has also made the team as a whole fall behind. If the Chuunin exam is anything like I think it's going to be, it's quite possible she could get herself or someone on her team killed. She's a Genjutsu type, but I have almost none to teach her, save for the standard academy clone jutsu that she's already perfected." (1)

"So that's why she has to go? You can't think of what to teach her next?" Sometimes she loved making people's lives awkward. It was something that ran in the genes, because she knew Naruto loved to do it too. Unfortunately for Hana, Kakashi had a comeback for just such an accusation:

"The person she'll be learning from can solve that problem, as well as teach her some other skills, too. Very few-if any-of my jutsus I've learned are suitable for a Genjutsu type. It's for her benefit."

Sakura looked a tad uncertain.

"So I'm learning from someone else now?"

The aged Hokage nodded.

"She is a trustworthy Kunoichi of considerable skill. She will teach you well. You will be escorted to meet her by two very adept ninjas."

Said adept ninjas poofed into the area behind the Hokage.

"Hokage sir, are you alright? We heard shouting…"

Everyone sweatdropped at the new arrivals except Naruto, who turned pale and started pointing at one of the ninja, who had dark spectacles and a dark bandanna.

"Y-you!!!" The ninja simply smiled and pushed his shades up his nose a little further, then spoke in a ridiculously posh voice;

"Sorry, but I have a personality which doesn't allow me to remember skill-less brats. Who are you again?" Tick marks appeared on Naruto's head. Sasuke, Kakashi and even Sarutobi all backed off. They thought they knew full well what was coming, but they didn't; Instead of performing two jutsus like they thought he would (Sasuke and Kakashi fell victim to it when Naruto got frustrated in a training session)(2), Naruto argued back with what may as well have been Ebisu's death sentence;

"At least I'm not a closet pervert!"

Sakura looked around, then seeing no argument in return, she just asked;

"If he's a pervert, then why am I trusting my life to his protection? I'd rather not have him-"

"I would never do such a thing!"

"THAT'S WHAT THEY ALL SAY!!!"

The aged Hokage just sighed. Now he had to play peacemaker.

_Damn Naruto's loud mouth… damn it to hell…_

**Hokage's Office; after Naruto arrives with Hana:**

"You're here Naruto! And Hana as well! Excellent!"

"Like hell I'm gonna leave you high and dry, old man!"

"You expected us not to show up?"

"That's not the case, but I'm sure he wasn't expecting to see me here right now…"

"SHIORI'S BLISTERS!"

"WHAT THE HELL!?! KAKASHI-SENSEI'S ON TIME!?!"

_And the other Jounin who should have turned up is late… what a reversal…_ (Sarutobi)

Suddenly the Hokage monument shifted three inches to the left. Konohamaru was overjoyed; he'd just won 10 ryou from Udon in a bet that the Hokage monument would move three inches to the left if he asked it to. He laughed as Udon handed over 10 ryou.

"Ha ha! Sucker!"

Sitting outside a certain corner shop, Hana's special Jounin trainer sneezed.

Back in the Hokage's office, Naruto looked over at Hana.

"Who's Shiori?"

"I'll explain some other time." The Hokage cleared his throat audibly, getting their attention.

_Forgive me Arashi, but I may not get the chance otherwise… my health won't last much longer than this year, at best…_

"Tell me you two, what do you know about Arashi Kazama?"

OOO

All footnotes are from this fanfiction's Naruto universe, so it's all my opinions on why it is the way it is.

1) The regular academy clone is a Genjutsu, as it is only represented using 2 out of the 5 senses. It can only be seen and heard. It cannot be touched because it's set up in the mind instead of a physical manifestation such as a shadow clone or water clone, which is much harder for most people, and counts as a Ninjutsu. It's the opposite way round for Naruto because he has so much chakra and so poor a level of control: he can't form Genjutsu properly because it takes a horrendously high level of control for him, when he has near superhuman chakra levels, and he is lacking in the necessary control. Shadow cloning is easier because the control is dealing with large amounts of chakra as opposed to small amounts for the regular clone. Naruto probably would show talent in water or sand cloning, if he knew how perform them, as well.

2) All true fans of Naruto should at least know what this Jutsu is. I promise it'll make an appearance sometime soon. I also have a personal version of this lined up, but I won't write its name until it's used, or it spoils the surprise. It should also be noted that Naruto simply won't use any variant of this around Hana.

The poll suggestions currently:

Naruto: Foxes (1) or Spirits (1).

Hinata: Wolves (1).

???: Dragons (1).

You know I love it when you review…

Ja ne!

blazeflare01


	5. Chapter 4: We're WHO?

The Flower in the Snow

Okay, making you all wait this long was just plain mean. Sorry, but I HAVE been very, very busy with school work. Sorry.

**I don't own Naruto or any of the familiar characters, but I do own Rangiku and Hana. If you didn't like the other Chapters, then you probably shouldn't read this.**

You get the idea…

On another note, the summons poll seems to be causing some confusion. Basically decisions you make can be for any number of the rookie 9 + team Gai (minus Rock Lee, but adding in Hana), and can make 2 suggestions for each character you include in your vote, except for Hana. Amraphenson got it right, so I'm hoping against hope that you people only had ideas for the characters you put rather than that you all misunderstood me.

Here are the results thus far:

Poll:

Naruto:

Foxes (2) (Mood-chan, Amraphenson)

Phantoms (1) (Blood-angel 666)

Hinata:

Wolves (3) (Ribbon-chan03, Alucard180, Mood-chan)

Hawks: (1) (Amraphenson)

Shino:

Devil beetles (1) (Amraphenson)

Kiba:

Wolves (1) (Amraphenson)

Tenten:

Porcupines (1) (Amraphenson)

Sasuke:

Komodo Dragons (1) (Amraphenson)

Sakura:

Cranes (1) (Amraphenson)

Neji:

Hawks (1) (Amraphenson)

Shikamaru:

Deer (1) (Amraphenson)

Ino:

Ladybugs (1) (Amraphenson)

Chouji:

Boars (1) (Amraphenson)

Hana:

Dragons (2) (scione, Mood-chan)

Snow leopards (1) (Amraphenson)

Let me know who you want to summon what!

Oh, and just because all of you people rock (and I had one hell of an inspirational burst along with the required time, with it being half-term and all), I'm giving you an extra-long length chapter!

Note: anything between squared brackets: '[' and ''; Author's translation or notes, though I can't guarantee perfect translations.

BTW: I'm not changing all those names! This is now officially truly AU, because although the Yondaime's name is now known to be Minato Namikaze, I quote Shikamaru: 'It's too troublesome to change it all.' Enjoy.

OOO

The Flower in the Snow: Chapter 4: We're WHO?

**Hokage's Office:**

"Tell me you two, what do you know about Arashi Kazama?"

The question came as a complete surprise to the two, but they answered anyway. Or at least Naruto did. Hana had next to no knowledge, having been away from Konoha to the point of missing the academy out completely. While Naruto was talking, the Hokage flicked through hand seals for a soundproof barrier.

"He was the Fourth Hokage, right? He was the hero who defeated the Nine-Tailed Fox, too." The Third looked disappointed with such basic knowledge being all. Kakashi figured he might as well interject and improve Naruto's knowledge somewhat on this topic, at least:

"He was also known as Konoha's Yellow Flash, the man feared by Iwa so much, they issued a Flee-on-sight order regarding him: the first SS rank ninja in history. He gave his life for this village. He was also my sensei. He valued teamwork and hard work above all other skills. He also invented several Jutsus, including one that, to this day, no-one else has ever shown the ability to perform: the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, which many observed to be an instant movement technique. If you saw him in a battle when he used it, you wouldn't keep up unless you didn't blink-it really was that fast." Naruto's jaw dropped at this.

_A movement technique __that fast_

The third shot Kakashi a look of extreme gratitude. The old man couldn't have said it better himself.

"All true. He was a true hero and a very intelligent man with several near-impossible tasks to his name, including his first battle using the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, when he slaughtered well over 1000 Iwa ninjas."

"And the defeat of The Nine-Tailed Fox."

"Yes, and the defeat of the Nine Tailed Fo-"

BANG! A Kunoichi wearing a coat, a skirt, and fishnet burst though the door. The Hokage sighed as he now had to put up another barrier to replace the one broken by the purple-haired Kunoichi.

"Sorry I took so long… but a girl needs her Dango!" Hana turned.

"Anko-Sensei! Where've you been?"

"Hey, Brat! You already got into a fight? With an Inuzuka?"

"Yeah! I won, and I scared the Uchiha shitless as well!" Anko walked over to Hana and patted her head.

"That's the spirit!" Naruto, Kakashi and Sarutobi sweatdropped. No wonder the girl was confident: if someone looked at her wrong, she'd beat them senseless, just like she'd been taught to. Thinking back to that morning, Kakashi and Naruto rather pitied Sasuke. Then Naruto remembered something: Hana had given HIM a death glare as well!

Shit. He was in for it later…

… Still, Anko had done a good job with Hana: her shyness and her distrustful and withdrawn nature had been replaced with confidence and a go-for-the-jugular attitude. She was almost nothing like the girl who left with Anko 7 years ago, flinching and nervous at the first sign of hostility.

Or even movement.

"Anko-sensei, did you bring some Dango with you?"

"err… maybe…"

"I gave you what you needed to get me Dango… AND YOU ATE IT!?!"

"umm… perhaps… maybe?" Hana glared at Anko intensely, and flared some Chakra.

"You have fifteen seconds to explain to me why you ATE MY DANGO!!!"

"erm… Finders-keepers?" Wrong answer. VERY wrong answer.

"AAAANNNKKOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Hana lunged.

"… she really is a mini-Anko now…" commented Kakashi. Then he added; "Hokage sir, how exactly am I going to control her?" the third smiled mischievously, and reached for a drawer in his desk.

"With this." He pulled out something. Anko and Hana stopped brawling and sniffed the air.

"That smell… it's…" They looked at each other and nodded, then leapt at the Hokage, their brawl on the floor forgotten.

"DANGOOOO!!!"

The old man moved so fast it should have been illegal. He was suddenly standing by Naruto while the two females leapt over the desk and face first into the wall behind, seconds too late to realise their mistake. Sarutobi smiled. He still had what it takes, it seemed, to make Anko look the fool. Hana scowled at the aged leader.

"Dammit old man! You wanna kill us!?!"

"No, but it seemed you two wanted to kill me in your efforts to get the Dango." Anko got up and looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Hokage sir… may I have the Dango? Pleeeeaaasseee…"

_Damn! She's already using the Puppy eyes Jutsu!_ (Sarutobi)

The Hokage was almost powerless to resist, but resist he did. Naruto provided a distraction the old man really welcomed.

"What does the Fourth have to do with us? That's the only reason I can think of that you'd mention him randomly like this…" Sarutobi smiled. Naruto, it seemed, was beginning to get closer to the truth. EVERYONE in the room stopped to note Naruto's sudden burst of intelligence. Hana and Kakashi started to look at him as if they were wondering if he was ill. Anko was looking wolfishly at the Dango that the Hokage was no longer watching in favour of Naruto.

"Naruto… are you alright? Did I hit you too hard?" (Hana)

"Do you want to sit down?" (Kakashi)

"Perfect Naruto. That was just the question I was hoping you'd ask."

"Hokage sir…" Anko was having difficulty holding herself back. Sarutobi went back to his seat, opened the drawer again, and threw two sticks of Dango to Hana and Anko each. Both began to look extremely happy. Naruto noted this for two reasons:

1: Hana probably wouldn't like Ramen as much anymore.

2: He knew that bribes now worked on Hana if they were the right 'currency'.

The Hokage looked at them all and spoke two words with such finality in them that no-one in the room disobeyed.

"Sit down." They all sat. It seemed to make it easier for Naruto to think, now that he couldn't run around. Not that he would when the Hokage held his interest…

Speaking of, Sarutobi had already re-established the sound barrier on the room. It was clear he didn't want anything being said to leave the room.

"Now, as Naruto has now said, I wouldn't ask them about the Fourth without good reason, however I'm not quite ready to say why, and none of you are quite ready to know yet. Now, Naruto, what do you think of the Fourth's achievements?"

"They're… incredible… he…" Then the Hokage suddenly remembered something important he should do.

"Hold that thought Naruto…" He flicked through hand seals. "Release!"

Naruto suddenly felt very odd. It was like a tingling sensation in his brain. Kakashi noticed something shine on the back of Naruto's head, under his hair, before it dimmed again.

"What… is this?"

"I've just removed a seal placed for your benefit while young. Do you remember what it does?"

"The… kiufuuin[sealed breadth of mind…?"

"Correct. Placed by the council to limit your reasoning to the point where certain connections cannot be made. I have no doubt you didn't miss that on the scroll of sealing."

"True. Is that the reason the other Genin think I'm-"

"Unusual? Yes. That seal, I think, was the reason you had so much difficulty with techniques, particularly with chakra control. It is a risk removing it, but I'm certain it's for the better."

"Is that the reason my brother has been an idiot his entire life?"

"huh? Um… HEY!"

"That I clearly can't say right now, as his mind has to re-awaken the previously sealed parts first. It's possible he could become more like you than you would like, but you'll have to keep an eye on him to spot the differences in his behaviour. He certainly will be different than you remember, but it's hard to say how much."

The conversation paused while everyone tried to understand this. Unusually, Naruto was ahead of the rest of the group coming to terms with it.

"Looks like the council have something to hide." The Hokage, Kakashi, and Anko looked up. they were thinking if they should tell him.

"I mean, if they put on a seal to limit my perception, then there's a reason, so…" While the others were busy being shocked that Naruto knew a big word (much less USED it), Naruto thought about the things that happened to him that he could remember. He wanted answers, and he knew that it was likely hidden in his past. Instantly, he thought of what made him different, and of the beatings he'd endured…

"_**Die, demon!"**_

"_**My parents deaths were your fault, demon!"**_

"_**Demons don't belong here!"**_

"_**Still sly and cunning, I see, Demon!"**_

"_**We'll finish what the fourth started!"**_

"_**There he is! GET THE DEMON!"**_

Then he thought of the run-in he'd had with Mizuki; the attempted thievery of the forbidden scroll of sealing, the very scroll that he learned Shadow cloning from…

"_**Naruto! Iruka's just trying to scare you 'cause he doesn't want you to have the scroll!"**_

"_**Stop lying Mizuki! Don't let him trick you Naruto!"**_

"_**Oh, I'll tell you who's really lying."**_

"_**No Mizuki!"**_

"_**They've been lying to you your whole life Naruto! Since the decree twelve years ago…"**_

"_**What… decree?"**_

"_**everyone knows except you. Iruka's trying to hide it from you even now-he'd do anything to shut me up!"**_

"_**What is this decree? Why does everyone else know about it?"**_

"_**DON'T TELL HIM! IT'S FORBIDDEN!!!"**_

"_**The decree is that no-one can tell you that the Nine-Tailed Fox is inside YOU!"**_

_If it's true that the Nine-Tailed Fox is sealed in me… then it must have been done by an extremely powerful technique… something that could kill someone… The Jutsu that killed the Fourth Hokage…!_

"Old man, is the Jutsu that defeated the Nine-Tailed Fox in the forbidden scroll of sealing?"

"Yes. I personally recorded it in there once it was defeated, Naruto." Naruto then thought about the forbidden scroll, and the titles of the Jutsu he'd read in it…

_**Multi-shadow clone Jutsu… Shadow Projectile Cloning Jutsu… Shadow Dragon Jutsu… Flying Thunder God Jutsu… Power Strike… Rasengan… Kiufuuin… Shikifuujin…**_

_Wait… Shikifuujin… fuu… a seal? That has to be it: I saw little else with that kind of power… A shinjutsu_[Death technique, I think_ seal._

"Was it that Shinjutsu I saw in there? Shikifuujin?"

"I won't lie Naruto. Not anymore. You are correct." The Hokage was solemn. All of the older occupants of the room were. The only one oblivious to the knowledge they had was Hana.

"So… Mizuki wasn't lying?"

"He was, but not about most of the things. Your specific question's answer would be no."

"What are you two talking about?"

"Naruto should be the one to tell you. He alone has the right…"

"Because of the decree, old man?" The Hokage nodded in response.

"What decree? What's going on here?"

"Hana… what if… I told you the Nine-Tailed Fox wasn't dead in the true sense of the word?"

"Are you CRAZY!?! The fourth killed it! You said that yourself!"

"No, I said he defeated it. There's a big difference."

"What?"

"Hana, your brother is right. Even with all of his power, the Fourth had only one chance at defeating the damn thing, and no human is capable of killing a demon." (Anko)

"What? Then how come it didn't level Konoha!?!"

"The Fourth used Shikifuujin, remember? He sealed it away by giving his own life, his own soul, to the Shinigami in exchange. Its soul is sealed… in me."

Hana was near-speechless. She didn't know what to think.

"I… is he…-?"

"Your brother is all him. He's the Fox's prison, not its' puppet. The general public fail to understand this, however." (Kakashi)

"Just think… it could've easily been you, Hana…" (Anko)

"Which brings us to the point that I've had to break my promise and call you here for."

"Old man? What're you talking about?"

"Whaddya mean, old man?"

The Hokage opened the drawer on the other side from the Dango drawer, and took out some old and dusty key. He then walked over to the picture of the Fourth, and removed it from he wall to reveal a small safe behind it. He opened the safe with the key and a long lock combination, and took out some old paperwork. He walked back over to them, and handed it to Naruto.

"Here, you two. These will say it much clearer than I can."

"This is all about the Fourth, though… why show us this…?" Hana turned, knocking Naruto's elbow, and causing him to drop the three pages under the page he was currently studying. As he bent down to pick them up, he saw something.

"Hana! Look at this!"

It's an odd thing, curiosity. Sometimes it abandons people, and other times it enjoys making people look childish. Hana deduced that it absolutely loved to mess with herself and her brother, especially. This was something she hadn't expected though. The three pages they'd dropped were like gold to the twins. They contained a marriage certificate for Arashi Kazama and Rangiku Uzumaki, and Hana's birth certificate, the last bit of paperwork their mother had filled in, even if with help from the Third. There was another Certificate which was Naruto's. According to the certificates, Hana was older by half a minute.

The Hokage cleared his throat audibly, as if to say 'hurry up, someone else will be here soon'.

Naruto suddenly reached for Hana's certificate, checking something against his own.

"Old man, what is this, some kind of joke?"

"No jokes, Naruto. Only truth." At this the two Jounins came over, and saw what the twins did.

Their real names. Hana and Naruto Kazama. The last of the Uzumaki and Kazama bloodlines. The children of legends, the Yellow Flash and the Dragonflower Whirl. Heroes of Konoha, known widely throughout the Shinobi populace. One the first ever SS ranked ninja, the other, a fearsome fighter who only used kunai or clawed gauntlets, but always won through with relentless attack. Anko and Kakashi turned to The Third. Anko, in particular, wanted answers.

"Why did you say nothing to me of this?" Sarutobi's look darkened slightly as he frowned.

"Was there ever a reason for me to tell those who weren't ever in their family?" Anko's fragile self-control finally broke. She slammed her hand down on the desk and hollered at the Hokage.

"DAMMIT, OLD MAN! RANGIKU ASKED ME TO BE THEIR FREAKING GODMOTHER!!! WHY WASN'T I TOLD!?!" Sarutobi looked at Kakashi, who was looking at Anko in astonishment, before speaking up.

"I… I wasn't informed of that… but… I can assume… Kakashi? Did Arashi ask you…-?" Kakashi sighed.

"No. He asked Jiraiya… of all the people… to be the godfather of his child, but he asked that I backed him up on that, or cared for them if Jiraiya couldn't or wouldn't. There were loopholes that kept the information away from you, as with Anko's case, I assume?"

"It seems so. I'm surprised that Arashi never mentioned any names, though…"

"Things tend to go that way, when you're days from dancing with death. You know that. And why, pray tell, did you not ask him about this issue?"

"He said he had it covered, but never said anything else about it. I assumed it would all fall into place, like he said it would… I never imagined that parts had fallen away from the plan…" The aged man was getting a good test of ability to handle pressure… Anko looked murderous, and beneath a calmer exterior… he could see Kakashi's infamous temper starting to reach boiling point. It was just a matter of time. The twins were downright shocked with all this family business-they weren't used to it.

"It seems my Sensei's plan was somewhat… damaged… by all that. Do you think the council may have something to do with this?"

"Quite possible, but I doubt damage would have happened until after I presented Naruto and Hana to the public. Which means…"

"Here it is!" Hana called.

"It was about three pages up from the bottom of the pile… someone wanted this to be hidden to the point of including it in a pile of signed papers randomly and hoping it wouldn't be spotted. It looks like that's what happened to it." All eyes turned in Sarutobi's direction once more.

"I view those two like grandchildren. Do you honestly think I would deny them happiness?"

"If…" Naruto stated, "It didn't deny us the safety of anonymity. It seems our father had some scary enemies." Kakashi shook his head.

"Unbelievable… just unbelievable… he never intended for me or Anko to take them home-he just wanted for them and his enemies not to find out…"

"Cruel, but caring to a fault. Not many of Arashi's enemies could have broken through half of the village to search for them without getting taken out, as long as they were unlocatable. The Mitarishi Manor would have been perfect anyway, despite the strict rules." Anko raised an eyebrow.

"Rules? What're those?"

"The type that stop people throwing themselves off of banisters, or upending the bath."

"Oh… those… yeah, they're pretty strict in my place." She smiled a little.

"Like 'Don't touch my Dango', 'Don't fucking touch my Dango', 'Don't touch my fucking Dango' and 'Don't fucking touch my fucking Dango', right?" asked Hana with an innocent tone and the face of an angel.

"No, just the last one, brat." Said Anko, with a smile that promised bloodshed.

"You're one to talk, eating mine, aren't you?" retorted Hana, her features hardening into a clear argument formation, a scowl appearing on her face.

"That was tax for making me get it! Whatcha gonna do about it, squirt?"

"I'll get Naruto hooked. You know how much Ramen he eats in one sitting?" Kakashi whispered the amount to Anko, who paled drastically.

"… Fine, I'll get you some Dango… Manipulative brat…" Hana smiled viciously. She'd just had this handed to her again. The used the usual finisher for her anti-retort this time-it had never failed yet.

"At least I'm growing instead of shrinking, you granny!!!"

"OOOHHHH!!!!!" Yep, Anko was pissed and less likely to be smart-arsed. Mission accomplished.

"Anko, Kakashi." They turned to the Hokage again. "It's unfortunate and unfair, but I can't allow you to take them home yet. The council very well might instigate a major uprising, if they don't know the reasons."

"You know what to tell them, I'm sure."

"You don't spend years on the same team as the more influential members and not learn how to manipulate them. Sadly, it can work both ways…"

"You will be sure you fill in the loopholes, right?"

"Of course." Anko didn't respond to the Hokage's confidence verbally, but it was clear she was using her eyes to get across the message 'You had better'. "I promise." Anko took on a sly look that greatly resembled a fox's.

"I should hope for results soon. Making up for lost time will be important to me, as well as, I should think, to them."

"Yes, of course, but I must ask you show restraint towards Naruto… his behaviour tends to be… attention seeking rather than cordial."

"Attention seeking? Just how bad has it been since I left with Hana?"

"You probably have a better idea than most… ANBU wasn't always on his side when things turned rough…" Anko turned to Kakashi.

"What? I always stuck up for him, as did my entire squad. We've never held him in the same vein as the villagers do…" Naruto's eyes widened. He'd just found the answer to a question he'd had for awhile now. He thought back to one of the most eventful nights he'd ever had:

"_**There he is! GET THE DEMON!" the villagers all advanced on him as he tried to back away from them, only to back up to the wall. They started throwing things at him, some of them rather sharp. The boy was quickly reduced to tears.**_

"_**Why? What'd I ever do to you?"**_

"_**Hah! That's rich, demon! Real rich! You KNOW what you did to us! You KNOW!"**_

"_**I… I don't…!" A fat civilian stepped forwards. He was armed with a standard Katana.**_

"_**Well that's too bad, 'cause our revenge won't wait!" He raised his weapon. "This is for my sister!"**_

_**Time seemed to slow down for Naruto. His heartbeat was in his ears, pounding, telling him to run at any cost, but he couldn't obey-he was trapped. The katana started to lower rapidly. Then a noise started to grow from a distance. It sounded like birds chirping… Lots of birds…**_

"_**Lightning Blade!" the fat villager and his katana were reduced to fried shells on the ground, but the katana had left its' mark on Naruto: his face had been cut deeply, near his temple, narrowly missing his eye. Blood ran everywhere. "Shit!" The ANBU ninja got on the radio to his team-mates instantly. "The subject has sustained injury. Taking him for medical treatment. I'll leave the cleanup to you guys."**_

"_**Affirmative, Now hurry!" The ANBU needed no more prompting than that, as he took off towards the hospital. Naruto's world was going dark on him, but he somehow found the strength to look at his saviour's mask. He recognised him almost instantly because of the Dog mask and the silver Mohawk.**_

"_**Thank you again… Mister…" was all the boy managed before he blacked out.**_

_**He awoke in a sewer, dampened by the water, but he didn't notice any injuries. The corridors seemed to be labyrinthine, but he somehow knew where he was going, as if he'd been there before. Eventually, he got to a fork in the passages where he didn't know where to go. He gambled on left, and the passage took him to a large room, where multicoloured lights danced around. He reached out and touched a green one, and he saw Hana's face from the last time he remembered her from. He touched another, orange one, and saw the ANBU who had been carrying him. Then he touched a red one, and he saw a face he'd never seen before in his life. She had blonde hair, chocolate brown eyes, and was wearing a grin that gave him an overwhelming sense of safety. He stared in wonder at this face for few moments, before he let go of the light. Then he grabbed another red light, and saw an image of someone with red spiky hair and VERY dark rings around his green eyes, as though he'd never slept a day in his life. He let this one go quickly. He touched another green one, and saw the Third Hokage smiling at him. He proceeded to snatch up another orange one, and saw a face that looked familiar, but he had no name for, with ebony eyes and jet black hair which looked like a duck's backside. He let this one go after wondering who it was. He touched another red light and saw the face of a man with white hair and red markings on his face. After letting this go, he touched a red light that settled by his shoulder, and saw a woman with dark hair, brown eyes, and a grin that made her look slightly mischievous.**_

_**He went back to the fork when he'd had enough of that room, and chose to go to the right this time. He came out into another large room where shadows lurked and leaves fell nowhere, fluttering and turning in midair, but never moving from their starting places. Some leaves were green, some were brown and dead-looking. Others were yellowish in colour. Deciding to treat this similarly to the lights in the other room, he touched a yellowed leaf near the archway. He suddenly saw something familiar, but also alien: he saw a moment he couldn't remember:**_

_**A face similar to his looked down at him-he could tell because the stars were behind the man in his view. Something big was slamming against something else solid, and was making one hell of a racket.**_

"_**A name… what about Naruto?" A baby's giggle came from somewhere. The man looked at something else close to him. "She's more like her mother than she'll probably ever know…"**_

"_**Really…?" The man smiled and chuckled.**_

"_**You could put all the alarm clocks in Konoha by her bedside, but Rangiku wouldn't hear them. I remember doing that once…"**_

"_**All of them?" the man simply chuckled some more and nodded once.**_

"_**She didn't take too kindly to the fact I'd done it when she found out, but it's a true story." Then the scene faded white, and then Naruto found himself back in the room. Naruto grabbed a green leaf, and saw a replay of what happened before he blacked out. Then, when he tried to grab a brown one, the shadows leaped out at him, and one grabbed his wrist. It shook its' head before letting Naruto go again. He got the idea that he wasn't meant to see that one.**_

_**He backtracked again, heading back to the fork in the labyrinthine sewers and chose this time to go straight on. He eventually came to a room with a huge cage with a paper talisman with the word 'seal' on the bars, holding the gates shut. The last thing he saw before the world warped and shrank from beneath him were a pair of blood red slitted eyes staring at him out of the darkness behind the bars.**_

_**He woke up with a start, and saw he was in the hospital. The ANBU had stayed with him, and behind that mask it seemed he was relieved that Naruto was alive.**_

"_**How are you feeling?"**_

"_**I… can I talk to you about something?"**_

"_**Uh… Sure, but there are some things I won't be able to talk about…"**_

_**So Naruto told him about the sewers experience, described what he'd seen, and asked the ANBU if he was going crazy. The ANBU just patted him on the head and said:**_

"_**I hope not Naruto, I hope not…"**_

"Kakashi-Sensei… I don't suppose the words 'Lightning Blade' would mean more to you than just a technique?"

"Lightning Blade is an improved version of my original technique, Chidori. I remember using it once on your 6th birthday, when I was in the ANBU, to scare off the villagers. I'm guessing you're thinking of that night, right?"

"Yeah, but something about what I saw that night has been bugging me… I recently got back there again." This held the interest of the Hokage and Kakashi quite firmly. Anko and Hana felt left out, as they had no idea what the men and the genin were talking about. Naruto thought back to the moment he got back in there.

"_**Huh? Where am I?" said Naruto, looking around. He recognised this place somehow…**_

"_**Oh!" yelled Naruto. "Now I remember! Time to go see those rooms again!"**_

_**After navigating the labyrinthine sewers again, Naruto eventually got to the fork in the paths again.**_

"_**Man… this place has changed… it's an even bigger maze now!" he decided to hang a left and visit the room with the lights again: he wanted to see who he knew in there now. He eventually came to the room, gasping at the new size of the room. It. Was. HUGE. No other way to put it. It was a lot bigger than when he first got there, but there were the lights, idling or zooming around, giving the place a sense of familiarity to it. Naruto immediately had green orbs gather close to him. he smiled, and touched them, one after another. He saw Sasuke, Sakura, Shino, Hinata, Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru from the academy; Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi from the Konohamaru corps; the Ichirakus, Kakashi, Iruka, Sarutobi and Hana from the rest of his life. Naruto then resolved to find some orange lights, and saw some floating around near him. as he touched a few, he saw faces again. The first light he touched was one that he recognised as Hana's special trainer, the scary woman with purple hair and a psychotic grin.**_

_That was Anko-sensei… that orb will probably be green now…_

_**A further grabbing session gave Naruto images of academy students, but not really anyone else. He decided he was bored enough to try red lights, but noticed a problem very quickly: he was standing on a floor, while the ceiling some 5 metres up was playing host to all of the red lights. Naruto swore loudly at this, and one of the red lights went for him, while two others seemed to flinch. The one that went for him hit him on the back of the head with enough force for him to be rubbing the area hit, but not do anything other than hurt a bit. He grabbed the red light with a shout of "SCORE!", and saw a face he recognised from the red orbs before: the blonde woman with the chocolate brown eyes. The difference was she was looking at him like a mother would a naughty child now. He heard a voice come from the light while he held it.**_

"_**Watch your mouth, brat!"**_

_I wonder why when I heard that I had the urge to say 'make me, granny!'? If she was my grandparent, surely she would've come to get me, right?_

_**Slowly, the lights that had flinched came down, and Naruto was eventually able to touch them. He could see that they were two of the other red lights he'd already seen, the man with white hair and the red line markings below his eyes, and the woman with brown hair, brown eyes, and the mischievous smile.**_

_Come to think of it, she looks a little bit like Anko-sensei… I wonder if they're related?_

_**He eventually backtracked to the fork in the passages, and went to the right again. He decided he'd try for a brown leaf this time, seeing as it would answer the question he had about that room. The shadows caught his hand again, and when he tried his damnedest to reach for the leaf, the shadows just re-directed him to another leaf. 'They must've considered this one okay for me to see then…' he mused. Then, he took it in his hand, and saw a small flash of something:**_

_**He was facing down the woman with blonde hair, and she didn't seem too impressed with the level of skill he possessed.**_

"_**One finger, brat. That's all I need to win this." Then he heard himself.**_

"_**Whatever! No-one insults my dream! Not even you!"**_

_**At that point the scene faded, revealing the room once more. He left quickly, rightly assuming that he'd pissed off the shadows. He made for the fork in the passages yet again and took the path straight on again. He came to the room with the huge cage, but whatever was in there was apparently snoring away peacefully, and Naruto decided that pissing off an unknown being in here as well was a bad idea, so he made to leave, and the world faded when he turned from the cage.**_

"Kakashi told me about it. What did you see to bother you this time?"

"I'd like to know if you know any of the faces-I have a suspicion about that room."

"From your first time in there?" Naruto nodded. "Based on your descriptions, yes, but you now know some of them, and I haven't had time to go headhunting for the other four yet, but I know two of them quite well. Anyway, I have a meeting with the Inuzukas soon, so let's get everything packed away for now, and you two: not a word of this to anyone. You carry two very potent bloodlines which many will kill for, and your parents were popular bingo book entries right up until their deaths. They have frightening enemies." The twins just responded with one word:

"Okay."

At this, Sarutobi locked the safe, replaced the Fourth's picture on the wall, and undid his sound barrier.

"Now, enjoy your afternoons, everyone."

OOO

Yaaaawwwnn… it's about time I finished this… Anyway, I hope to keep hearing from you people!

… anyway… those who can guess which people Naruto saw in the room with the lights MAY just get a say in the prelims match-ups, which are really bugging me right now. Those who can tell me what the difference in colour for both the lights and the leaves signifies get a cookie.

**Disclaimer: it is unlikely you will actually receive a cookie from me. If, by some miracle, you do get a cookie from me, I take no responsibility for its' condition upon arrival.**

Also, the summons poll is still open, so if you haven't voted yet, I'd really appreciate it if you did. Arigatou.

Right, I'm off for now. Sorry for making you wait so long.

Ja ne…

blazeflare01


	6. Chapter 5: Training With Sasuke

The Flower in the Snow

**I don't own Naruto or any of the familiar characters, but I do own Rangiku and Hana. If you didn't like the other Chapters, then you probably shouldn't read this.**

You get the idea…

Sadly, the poll will be closing in another few chapters, so if you haven't already, please vote for summons! (details are in chapter three)

OOO

The Flower in the Snow: Chapter 5: Training with Sasuke.

**Outside the Hokage Tower:**

"I'm giving you the rest of the day off to re-familiarise yourselves with each other. I'll tell Sasuke, as well. Later!" Kakashi 'poof'ed away, leaving Naruto and Hana to their own devices.

"I swear Sasuke's Kakashi-sensei's golden boy…" Naruto grumbled and stuck his hands in his pockets. Hana was looking at her brother. "What?"

"You mean to tell me that Kakashi's not been training you?"

"He's taught me the tree walking exercise, and some tips on how not to use my cloning ability…"

"No wonder he's looking guilty under that mask. Come on, I'm setting this to rights." She grabbed his hand and started pulling him through the crowd, towards the training area. Sasuke appeared through the mass, not interested, but listening in.

"Eh? What're you-?"

"I'm teaching you the next step up from tree walking." That got Sasuke's attention.

"Count me in. I need more than what Kakashi's shown us if I'm gonna be ready, too." Hana turned.

"Don't the Uchiha clan have a vault full of all kinds of training exercises?"

"Well yes, but…"

"Don't presume we are given such resources, Uchiha. We have had to work for everything we've done. You have jutsu coming out of your ears from those vaults, yet you don't share that knowledge. Your arsenal of techniques is far more extensive than my brother's."

"What about yours?" Hana laughed.

"I've undergone trials that would affect people worse than the massacre would have affected you, and all just to survive in the wastes of the land of Snow. I've earned all of my skills. Skills I will only share with someone who understands what it means to work for everything they've gained, just like me. My brother has not been trained to a point where he can pass the exams without a major fluke, despite his effort. I'm setting that right today." Sasuke was downright shocked, and angered beyond belief. This may have been Naruto's sister, but damned if he'd miss out on the dead-last's extra training!

"I'm still going to the training field. I have something I want to try out anyway."

"Fine, but if I see Sharingan eyes on us without a damn good reason in MY opinion, I'll rip them out, team-mate or not. That's a promise."

"Hn… Fine, let's go." And with that, they continued on their way, Hana no longer dragging Naruto, who was acting like the Naruto who Sasuke knew to avoid suspicion.

**Training ground 7:**

Hana and Naruto made a beeline for the stream, while Sasuke made for the training stumps, despite his curiosity.

"Okay… time to do this: Tiger, Shark, Tiger, Deer, Horse, Tiger. Fire style: Giant Flame Cannon Jutsu!" the jutsu failed, causing Sasuke to lightly singe his fingers. "Damn…! this could take awhile…"

Over with the twins, Hana was explaining the basics of water walking to Naruto.

"So I have to use my chakra to repel the water, right?"

"Yep, just don't use too much or too little: you'll jump without meaning to, or sink like a stone. One or the other…"

"Right." Needless to say, Naruto had several cases where he sank, and then eventually managed to stop his knees from going under.

"Not bad, Naruto… you're picking it up almost as fast as I did!"

" 'almost'?"

"Like I said, I needed this to survive through my training with Anko-Sensei… and what is it, Uchiha?"

"I…" He hesitated slightly. "I need a favour…"

"And what guarantee do I have that I'll get one in return?"

"I won't go back on this promise, as long as it falls within certain limits."

"I guess, but it's dependant on what you want done."

"To put it simply, my control needs more work. I almost lost some fingers practicing that jutsu just a moment ago."

"Well… water walking doesn't come cheap in my book. It'll be a big favour you owe me in return…"

"Fine."

"Okay then… here's the idea behind this training…"

**Four hours later:**

Hana had finally gotten Naruto to take steps on the water's surface, and Sasuke was less than minutes away from getting it right. She waited purposely for Sasuke to get the hang of it, then when Hana said he had it down, he went to try out his jutsu. Hana immediately saw what he was doing wrong.

"Hey! Uchiha!"

"What now?"

"Your problem is chakra, alright… You're using too much for that jutsu!"

"What? You know this one?"

"Yep. Try around half what you were using." Sasuke gave it a try right away.

"Fire style: Giant Flame Cannon Jutsu!" a huge jet of fire shot forwards, and burned a few trees. The training stumps didn't exist anymore. "Nice…"

"You were trying to make the flames too powerful. It's a wonder you didn't burn your throat out!"

"Right… Whatever…"

"Well,now you can teach that to Naruto." Sasuke would have yelled if it wasn't against the Uchiha ethics code.

"What?" he was giving her a look as if to say 'you've gotta be kidding me…'

"You don't get something for nothing, and you owe me, remember?"

**Ten minutes later:**

"AWESOME!" was becoming Naruto's word of the day. After a three minute argument between Hana and Sasuke that ended with Hana showing him exactly WHY it was a bad idea to disagree with her, he'd learned the technique from Sasuke in two minutes, and only needed the other five minutes to figure out how much chakra was needed for the technique with some help from Sasuke and Hana. He was actually getting good at listening now. The not-so-subtle differences were noticed by Sasuke, but he passed them off as flukes for now. He'd wait until something else similar happened before commenting. They decided that it was a good time to break up for the night, and Sasuke and the twins parted company. They'd see each other the next morning. Sasuke spent the night in the Uchiha compound by himself as usual, while Hana and Naruto headed to Ichiraku's, then back to Naruto's apartment for the night. Hana didn't think much of the apartment, but it did have 'that homely feel', as she put it. Naruto slept in the hammock on the somewhat small balcony, while Hana got the bedroom, and privacy.

**The Next Morning:**

Naruto and Hana both had one thing in common with their mother: they hated-no, DESPISED-alarm clocks. Hana's training had been more intensive than Naruto's, and as a result, her automatic reaction to hit the snooze button had accidentally ended the valued clock's useful lifetime with an unceremonious crunching of plastic. Fortunately Naruto had woken up because of it, and walked into the bedroom to see Hana's hand on the remains of the clock the Third had given him as a birthday present. That, however, wasn't the main thing on Naruto's mind. Looking at her face, he decided she looked almost… cute…

_If she could hear that thought I'd be in the hospital VERY soon…_

Then he remembered why he was in there in the first place, and went to shake her awake.

"Hana… Hana… it's time to get up…" The girl just turned away from him and mumbled something about 'crazy sadistic sensei's…'

Sadistic? That gave Naruto a VERY evil idea. Smirking evilly, he quickly went and retrieved a long, brightly-coloured flexible tube and put it against the headboard of the bed. He then went to the bathroom, revealing the tube to be the shower nozzle with a hose extension attached to make it long enough. He turned the cold water on full, then connected the hose and raced the water to the bedroom.

The resulting scream very nearly broke his eardrums, as well as breaking about 80 of all of the glass in Konoha, but the look on Hana's face was priceless.

Yeah, this was his best prank in a while.

OOO

Couldn't resist that end to the chapter… heh heh heh… gotta love the hilarity of cold water wake ups… although it sucks when you're on the receiving end… (T.T)

Enjoy life until the next chapter, anyways… damn 'to do' list just gets longer and longer… Anyway, laterz!

blazeflare01


	7. Ch 6: Hana's past, Sasuke's ambitions

The Flower in the Snow

**I don't own Naruto or any of the familiar characters, but I do own Rangiku and Hana. If you didn't like the other Chapters, then you probably shouldn't read this.**

That should keep the lawyers off my back for now.

IT'S AN UPDATE MARATHON! CHAPTERS 6 TO 9 UP IN ONE GO!! HELL YEAH!

Oh yeah: the poll is now closed. Check chapter 9 for the results.

OOO

The Flower in the Snow: Chapter 6: Hana's past, Sasuke's ambitions.

**Training ground 7:**

Unsurprisingly, Kakashi turned up late. Unsurprisingly, it was because he was busy getting his windows replaced.

_It's good to have an actual irrefutable excuse for once… _(Kakashi)

"Okay, now since half of us don't know Hana very well, we should re-do our introductions. First up: Sasuke."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There's not a lot I like, since I hate almost everything. I have no dreams, but I do have two ambitions: The first is to find and kill a certain man. The other is to revive my clan."

_No change there, then…_

"Okay, next up: Naruto."

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, training, my sister, and a few other people in the village." He looked at Kakashi and then the Hokage tower when he said this. "I dislike the three minute wait for cup ramen, Sasuke, stuck-ups in general, and most of the village. My dream is to be Hokage and have people respect me for who I am." Kakashi's eye narrowed slightly.

_His views have changed slightly… it might do some good to talk with him and the Hokage about this…_

"Good… and now the new girl…"

"I HAVE A NAME DAMMIT!"

"… Fine… your turn Hana…"

_She's definitely Anko's student…_

"Thank you. My name is Hana Uzumaki. I like training, Dango, and destructive jutsu. I hate stuck-ups, perverts, Inuzukas, dogs, the villagers, and due to a certain event this morning; my brother." She gave Naruto a withering glare. "My dream is to become the best Kunoichi I can be, and show everyone that strength isn't just possessed by men." Sasuke couldn't contain his curiosity. Shifting a nudge closer to Naruto, he whispered to him.

"What did you do to piss her off?" Naruto smirked and whispered back.

"Cold shower wake-up." Sasuke was quite impressed.

"Not half bad, dead-last."

"She sleeps like a rock. It wasn't that hard." Sasuke sweatdropped. Naruto found annoying that scary thing without fear THAT EASY!?

"Naruto, if you wake me up that way again, I don't care if you're my brother; you'll lose your claim to being a man, got it?" Naruto chose that moment to be witty.

"Would you prefer it if I'd brought you here in your nightgown?" Wrong thing to do. VERY wrong thing to do.

She rose up, and Naruto started running. Hana gave chase, and when he got caught, all he noticed was he'd gone twice the difference he should have, and he was face-to-face with a furious Hana while his back was to a tree. She had a kunai in her free hand, and was clearly pissed enough to use it.

"No, I wouldn't, but… if you EVER boast about it again…" she pointed her kunai at his nether-regions. "… you can say goodbye to 'little Naruto', got it?" Naruto just nodded. He'd never been so scared of someone since his eighth birthday. "Good, then you're buying me lunch to make up for it." Naruto just stood there, his fear evident.

Over where they had been, Kakashi looked at Sasuke.

"Aren't you going to comment?" Sasuke looked him dead in the eye and said:

"I know first-hand how scary she can get. I don't envy him, that's all there is to it. He doesn't need my input." Kakashi sighed. He had a lot of work to do now…

"I'm going to try and gauge Hana's skills. I'm going to pit her against you Sasuke, so get ready. She's been trained since she was five by a special Jounin, so she's not going to be a pushover." Sasuke scowled.

_She's been trained from an earlier age than even 'Him'… This could be a good measuring stick for me…_

"I'm always ready."

"Oh really? So why were you inches from pissing yourself when I met you instead of getting up, then?" Hana had crept up behind Sasuke moments before he'd said that line. He 'eep'ed at his impending doom-bringer's introduction into the conversation, making Kakashi raise his not-so-visible brow. He had, at last, found a method of keeping Sasuke in line, it seemed.

_It's about time I found someone with that effect on him… Finally…_

"You're a wuss, Uchiha. It's just as well Itachi didn't kill himself after the massacre, or the Uchiha's pride wouldn't exist anymore." Everyone else's eyes widened at this remark. Hana had opened a bag of something potentially lethal. Kakashi and Naruto backed off, sweating bullets. Sasuke was pissed beyond all reasoning. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and red started showing on his irises, indicating his Sharingan, slowly but surely, coming to life.

"I'm sorry… I don't think I heard you right… care to repeat that?" His tone was low and dangerous.

"I said Itachi has way more guts than you ever will. Live with it." If Sasuke was pissed at the first sentence, he was FUCKING LIVID now. "You'll never beat your brother like that." That broke Sasuke's fragile self-control completely. His Sharingan blazed, and his usually calm fighting style now resembled Naruto's more brawl-style 'Taijutsu'. Hana fought back, and a battle was born.

**The Hokage Tower, 2 hours later:**

"… and that's the story, sir…" Kakashi finished explaining just how half of training field 7 was replaced by a scorched wasteland, courtesy of Sasuke and Hana's short battle. The Hokage sighed.

"I'll get someone reliable on the issue right away… but we need to teach those two a lesson about this. They can't start fighting tomorrow, or they'll fail…"

"Sasuke wouldn't be the only one annoyed by that…"

"All of them would."

"True… Hana's been training for this for the last 7 years, and Naruto…"

"He just barely passed the genin test this year… after putting in so much effort, too… He'd be crushed if he failed in this exam…"

"True, but out of the team 7 that started the year, Naruto has grown the most. Sasuke's progress is hampered by his predisposition against teamwork. Sakura showed some signs of advancement, but she never really learned much other than the tree-walking exercise and some Genjutsu." The Hokage took this opportunity to sit up slightly.

"According to Anko, Hana is like a sponge for knowledge. If she can help it, her temper is nothing to worry about, either."

"Actually, I thought about pitting Sasuke and Hana against each other to measure Hana's skills, but I never got the chance to see her potential in a controlled manner. Did Anko say anything on that, either?"

"Yes. Hana's Jutsu repertoire is impressive, with several fire jutsus, some water jutsus, wind manipulation and jutsus, and finally, some luck in combining water and wind into ice and snow jutsus, although her talents in that area are somewhat hampered by her lack of ability to stabilise the combined elements. Her best snow jutsu is the 'Enormous Avalanche jutsu', simply because she doesn't have to control it once she uses it: it just barrels after her enemies for her."

"Impressive that she knows something like that though… It takes years to get the kind of chakra reserves needed for something like that…"

"Yes… that was Anko's main focus for Hana's training besides control. Jutsus below C rank are completely unheard of for Hana as a side effect of that, but she knows a great deal about the Kinjutsu 'Perfect Transformation Jutsu' and most Genjutsu, particularly on using the former and dispelling the latter. She's far from easy to trick, but her own trickster skills are almost certainly just a step under Naruto's." Kakashi's eye widened slightly.

"She can use the 'Perfect Transformation Jutsu'? It seems Naruto isn't the only one with a flair for Kinjutsu…"

"You'd be amazed. She also is capable of the Summoning Jutsu, but it drains her completely over a long period of time, and Anko was annoyed that she wouldn't sign the snake contract." Kakashi stood still at that. He had a student under his command with some very impressive skills, sure… but someone so similar to Anko refusing the Snake contract? Unheard of until now, certainly.

"Why?" Was all the Jounin could manage.

"Apparently she found one that she thought would suit her better. She signed that contract instead."

"Why didn't she sign both? It's possible…"

"That… is a question only Hana can answer…"

"And as for what she signed… which contract is it?"

"Have you ever heard the story of the Destiny Summoning Contracts?" (1)

"Where the hell did she find one of THOSE?! Only the downright suicidal get to sign those!"

"Again… ask Hana about it. Even Anko can't answer that question-and she trained the girl!"

"I see. I'll make it a point to ask her." The Hokage puffed on his pipe and warned Kakashi:

"Try not to be too direct with the questioning unless you're alone with her: Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't take it very well if they knew she had a summoning contract. It's not a common thing to sign until you're at least a Special Jounin, and even then it's rare…" Kakashi bowed.

"I understand. Thank you for your time Hokage sir." Kakashi then used the poof jutsu and made his way to train the brats he called his team, only to realise he hadn't told them where to go. "Oh well…" he shrugged it off, and started reading his porn novel. A healthy blush soon covered his face under the mask as he headed to his home. There was always tomorrow.

OOO

(1): The Destiny Summoning Contracts: this is going to get explained in the story and it's a major plot point. These are going to be important, so be sure to read the story on them next chapter carefully. What contracts are on it are my secret for now, but very few (a couple of people have suggested one of them) of them will be the winning votes for character summons, or it ruins the story. That is a promise.

I'll give you a hint on how strong the Destiny Summoning Contracts can be: the person's ability to use the full potential of the contract is tested in the Cloister you have to pass to get to the actual contract scroll, which very few, if any, have ever signed. The actual scroll can't leave the seal placed on the den inside the cloister, so only those who have passed the cloister can sign the contract. Also, out of all those few who pass through the cloisters, only those who have figured out the cloister's deepest secrets can unleash the true power of the contract. Without that knowledge, it doesn't matter how much chakra is input, there's simply no summon above immature state.

For a really bad example; if the Toad contract was one of the Destiny Summoning Contracts (which it isn't), and the cloister's secret wasn't known to the summoner, then the summoner couldn't summon any toad bigger than Gamakichi, regardless of how much chakra is used.

OOO

Okay, I like this thinking with the Destiny Summoning Contracts (DSCs for short), but I'm not going to have all of them make an appearance in this fic, although if I make another Naruto fic I might reuse the idea (but I also might not: I hate being someone with only one type of plot device, after all…). And just to make it clear:

This all came off the top of my head, so to anyone already using anything similar, sorry, but it's not copied, and I haven't seen anything like it used in a fic yet so direct me the way of your fic because it's probably gonna be awesome. Better luck with the lawyers next time! :D

BTW: the reason my updates were late is that my ISP is using a new (and glitchy) logon system. Sorry for the very, very long wait!

For those dropping out at this point: ja ne!

blazeflare01


	8. Chapter 7: Machinations of the Unknown

The Flower in the Snow

**I don't own Naruto or any of the familiar characters (who belong to Masashi Kishimoto, being the lucky person he is), but I do own Rangiku and Hana. If you didn't like the other Chapters, then you probably shouldn't read this.**

I don't like it, but that's the truth. End of discussion.

The poll is closed. Check chapter 9 for the results.

Note: Remember, things in brackets are author's notes or translations, although notes ON translations are NOT guaranteed to be completely correct.

OOO

The Flower in the Snow: Chapter 7: Machinations of the Unknown

**??:**

"Our target is aware now?" The figure not so much asked as demanded to know.

"We have 3 targets, 'Ichi'. Which target do you mean?" another figure asked.

"The special one… the key to it all."

"The target is unaware."

"And the other two?"

"Also no reason to suggest they know anything."

"Good… I want you to ensure it remains that way… for now."

"Very well…" As the subordinate figure raced away, just one thing was on their mind:

_Cousin… just ensure you stay on guard… I'll be there soon for you…_

**Training area 44:**

Team 7 were training outside the fence. Anko asked Kakashi for some help setting up some stuff for the Forest of Death, so he set them up against each other to get a feel for each other's techniques. Hana was taunting Sasuke.

"Come on! You can do better than this!" Sasuke flicked through hand seals, then brought his hand up to his mouth.

"FIRE STYLE: FIREBALL JUTSU!" he missed Hana, who jumped out of the way, but Naruto couldn't quite move fast enough, and as a result… he got his rump singed.

"OW! WATCH YOUR AIM, SASU-**GAY**!"

"Shut up lose-OOF!" Hana had just belted Sasuke in gut, not far below the ribcage. Sasuke was winded, obviously.

"TAKE MY TRAINING SERIOUSLY, DAMMIT! IF THAT WAS A KUNAI, YOU'D BE DEAD!"

"… As if… one Naruto… wasn't enough…"

"I heard that!" Sasuke paled and momentarily stopped breathing, then, deciding he couldn't get away…

"Damn… Okay-Naruto, you're up."

"Whatever Sas-uke… just don't think you can do this all the time…" Sasuke's eye twitched.

_Did he just say I 'take it' from other guys? He'd better not've!_

"Whatever, loser. Now get in there and fight."

"Whatever." Naruto and Hana took ready positions. Naruto's thoughts weren't entirely on the fight, though, as evidenced by his slight smirk.

_I LOVE pushing people's emotional hot-buttons!_

**In the middle of the Forest of Death, 10 minutes later:**

Anko heard a girl scream. It worried her, because it sounded a lot like Hana, and not many were a match for her unless they caught her off-guard… She made to set off, but Kakashi stopped her. Anko was furious, turning to the masked Jounin.

"What the hell Kakashi!?"

"Didn't you hear the shout before the scream?"

"Shout?"

"Yep. It was…"

"_**LEAF VILLAGE SECRET FINGER JUTSU: A THOUSAND YEARS OF DEATH!"**_

(Some people may better recognise this as the American-English version of 'Hidden Taijutsu Ougi: Sennen Goroshi', which also translates to: 'Hidden Taijutsu Master Technique: A Thousand Years Of Pain'. Typically in fanficdom it's just called 'Sennen Goroshi'.)

"… Just as I'd expect of Naruto…" Anko looked absolutely murderous now. "Hey, don't worry about it. It doesn't do anything other than make it hurt to sit down for awhile."

"That little brat… using THAT technique on his teammates?!" Anko turned to Kakashi and ranted: "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TEACH **ME** THAT TECHNIQUE, AS WELL!?" Kakashi just sweatdropped and tried to explain that flicking kunai at people was a far more pleasurable way to use your fingers to torture said people.

(Sometimes I find myself wanting to perform that technique, with all the stuck-ups I'm surrounded by… XD)

**Back with Team 7:**

"**NARUTO!!**" Yup, Hana was pissed.

(The next ten minutes have been removed due to inappropriate ratings for violence)

"Ow…" Naruto was in pain from so many different places at once it should have been illegal.

In fact, it probably was. Most of Anko's techniques were largely questionable from a legality standpoint, and she'd obviously passed a few on to Hana. Too bad Naruto was never really taken seriously until this point… for him, anyways.

He was hurting in places he didn't think possible.

Well, other than Sasuke, no-one had sympathy for the blond boy when Kakashi and Anko got back. In fact, Anko was looking at him predatorily. It was kinda unnerving, too…

Sasuke was shuddering because of that look.

Hana was shivering because of it.

Naruto was trying to figure out his last will and testament.

Kakashi was reading his porn, perfectly oblivious to the danger.

Anko's gaze miraculously averted itself to the perverted Jounin. She noticed he was reading.

"So 'Kashi, what's going on in the series?" The Genin facefaulted. 'Kashi' looked up.

"Unfortunately, not much in terms of your favourite. Still, there's a lot of-" Hana decided to clear her throat audibly to remind them the adults there were Genin around. The adults looked over. Anko started guiltily.

"Sorry, forgot you were there!" she laughed tensely, indicating schoolgirlish nervousity. Hana knew what to do in this situation, so the boys wisely left this to her.

"Whatever, Ero-Baba" Anko's fuse was suddenly lit. (Ero-Baba Perverted hag)

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?"

"Oh sorry Sensei, I forgot you didn't like that name, just like you forgot that I HATE PERVERTS!"

Kakashi put his book away in record time after that one. He didn't want to risk his 'precious' porn. Anko was simmering down, albeit slowly. Hana looked a nice variety of angry-tone reds. She was also using what Sasuke recognised to be one of Iruka's favourite jutsus for class control: the Demon-Head Jutsu. (Right after Naruto uses the Sexy Jutsu during the Transformation skill test, Iruka uses this while yelling at him. It requires only one thing: that the user is unsurpassably pissed and/or angry. (That's right: NO HANDSEALS! XD)) Sasuke smirked at Kakashi's reaction, because it meant that Hana had him wrapped around her pinkie right now compared to the banshee they'd had until a couple of days ago.

**Somewhere on the road:**

Sakura sneezed, and wondered who was thinking about her.

_I hope it's Sasuke!_

If she'd known for sure, She'd probably have run all the way back, only to have the whole thing played down and then denied by Sasuke-right after she'd talked big to Ino-pig, anyway…

**Back with Team 7:**

Sasuke sneezed, and he knew why.

_Damn fangirls._

Half the female population of Konoha sneezed.

Then Sasuke suffered a big sneezing fit.

_This is going to be a long day…_

"Hey Sasuke, You sound like you're coming down with something. 'You gonna be okay?"

"Don't worry. I'm fine." Kakashi picked this moment to walk over.

"Meet me in the usual place tomorrow at 7am. No extra training for today or tomorrow, only theoretical studies INDOORS. Dismissed." This, of course, got the kids' fires lit.

"WHAT!?" (Naruto)

"WHY!?" (Hana)

"… You can't be serious…" (Sasuke)

Kakashi wasn't happy anymore. Nope. Good feeling's gone.

"THINK ABOUT IT! We have Shinobi and Kunoichi from other nations here as of tonight, and not all of them will have zero interest in your techniques! THINK about it before you ask stupid questions or protest!" Anko decided to back him on this.

" 'Kashi's right brats. The Chuunin exams bring in Ninja from all over the continent, and not all of them are Genin. If we can't prove they did anything wrong, those ninja are free to do whatever the hell they want, including murder our ninja and steal our village's techniques! Naruto in particular is not to use his abilities in front of them unless necessary, as he knows a Jounin level technique!"

Over in the trees not far away, a familiar dark figure was eavesdropping, and raised an eyebrow at this.

_That's something even I respect, especially considering your level, Cousin. Not many can learn that level of technique in just under an hour, certainly not me. It really is too bad I can't come meet you directly, but I will... someday soon. Just knowing that makes seeing you enough for now. Take care of your sister for me too... She's more fragile than she looks, and I can't watch over her forever. Also... 'She' might try to contact you soon. Good luck dealing with her... you'll need it._

The figure then dashed away, leaving no trace, not even a hair, behind.

Needless to say, after getting double-teamed by a Jounin and a Special Jounin, the Genin didn't fancy their chances much. They parted ways with their teachers and stepped out onto one of the main streets. They decided to stick together for now and discuss a few things.

"So..." (Hana)

"Hm?" (Naruto)

"They're likely to be good." (Sasuke)

"What?" (The twins)

"The candidates for the Chuunin exams. They won't put forward anyone other than those likely to pass, so only the best will be sent from other villages." (Sasuke)

Hana looked up at the sky with her hands behind her head in a relaxed pose (You know, like Naruto does it).

"I wonder which hidden villages will be entering Genin for the exams..." (Hana)

"Probably most will come from Leaf, Rain, Waterfall, Grass, Sand and Cloud. I don't think we'll be seeing many Rock Genin in the exams, since there's the whole issue over the last great Shinobi war still making them sour..." (Sasuke)

"What the Emo said." (Naruto) This comment made Sasuke look over to him in genuine defensive surprise.

"What!? I'm not Emo... I'm just-" (Sasuke) The twins narrowed their eyes, to fox-like slits in Naruto's case, with their next comments.

"EMOtionally damaged?" (Naruto)

"EMOtionally withdrawn?" (Hana) Sasuke sweatdropped.

"... Is it any wonder people don't like you two much?" (Sasuke) The twins had mixed feelings here, and it showed. Naruto stopped being cheery and his eyes widened slightly from their fox-slits and became cold. Hana's expression was one of thoughtful depression.

"No." (Naruto)

"Sometimes... it depends on their view." (Hana)

"I'm still sticking with 'No' for that question. There are a lot of idiots in this village." Naruto remarked frostily.

"Amen to that, Naruto. Fangirls are a perfect example." (Sasuke)

_What does he mean there are a lot of idiots in this village? And why is it affecting them this way? Maybe some personal investigation is due... Later._

"At least they're trying to be nice to you." (Naruto)

"Yeah... speaking of... RUN!!" Squeals could be heard from down the street behind them, and were getting louder. The chase was on.

"Remind me why we're running with you Uchiha..."

"Teams are brought together by life and death situations, right? To me, THIS QUALIFIES!"

"Running from girls with no ninja skills?"

"You won't be so snide about it AFTER they catch you!"

"They're not after US, Uchiha. They're after YOU."

"In their minds, ransom is a perfectly acceptable means of coercion."

"We're not THAT valuable to you!"

"True, but do you REALLY want to take the chance that they'll know that?" Hana paused in her speech slightly whilst considering this.

"Where to?" Sasuke smirked at this, then turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, we need another distraction."

"And we got one! SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

"Cover your eyes Hana."

"What? Hey lemme go Uchiha!" Sasuke had covered her eyes and shut his own.

"Go for it Naruto!" All the Narutos smirked while the real one grabbed a hold of Sasuke and Hana.

_Replacement Jutsu!_

Whack! Poof!

OOO

Where did they end up? What did Naruto replace them with? Wait and see! I'll give you a clue:

_Sannin_

That leaves two or three possibilities. Happy guessing, though. If you get it right, good for you.

Anyways, this chapter got sloppy towards the end, so I might redo it in the future. I hope it hasn't spoiled the story for you, and I'm going to set it right. Hopefully soon.

For those dropping out at this point: ja ne!

blazeflare01


	9. Chapter 8: Perverts and a Powerful Jutsu

The Flower in the Snow

**I don't own Naruto or any of the familiar characters, who belong to Masashi Kishimoto, but I do own Rangiku and Hana.**

Unless they like getting run over with a lawnmower, Lawyers will therefore stay away.

The summons poll is now closed! Thanks for voting if you did, I'll give the results in the next chapter, along with some of the decisions.

OOO

The Flower in the Snow: Chapter 8: Perverts and a Powerful Jutsu

**In a hugeass bath somewhere:**

"Ouch! Hey, that's my foot!"

"Where the fuck did you send us!?"

"Um… The public bathes, I think…"

"WHAT!?"

"Relax. Getting angry isn't going to help, and there are people here. Remember you represent our village."

"Yeah, yeah! Listen to the voice of wisdom over there!"

"The one outside my head, or the three inside telling me to kill you for possibly earning me inheritance of my Sensei's reputation?"

"Sasuke, dammit! Sasuke!"

"That's not very descriptive…"

"The Emo on your left."

"Oh… THAT one. Fine – for now. Now get me out of here undetected, dammit!"

"Too late missy. Out. Now. All three of you." Said the owner. Sasuke grunted and walked out of the public bathes, Naruto and Hana close behind.

"Well… That was eventful." Said Naruto once they were in the street, trying to lift the mood. Sadly, someone didn't think it was too entertaining.

Especially after Naruto's replacement technique made him stab himself with his pencil.

Sadly, this someone also had great ninja skills, and used them to introduce himself-by kicking Naruto in the face on his way in.

"OW WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?"

"FOR MAKING ME STAB MYSELF WITH MY PENCIL, GAKI! IT WAS YOUR REPLACEMENT TECHNIQUE!!"

Getting a look at him, Sasuke noticed that this man fitted the description of one of the legendary Sannin - Jiraiya to be more exact. And he was bickering like a child with Naruto. The Uchiha couldn't help but sweatdrop. THIS was supposed to be one of Konoha's most incredible ninja?

"Um… Uchiha? You realise I can't land a hit while my brother's starting to turn purple, right?" Focusing again, Sasuke found this to be true. Naruto's face was turning from blue to purple with the Sannin's hands around his neck. Then he noticed something.

"Is it me, or is everyone looking at this and then turning away as if it's something that should've happened a long time ago?" Hana looked around.

"Hey, you're right! Those assholes! Alright, time to break up the children…" She walked right up to the two, her killing intent in check to prevent Jiraiya from noticing it, and then proceeded to talk sweetly to the two of them: "Um, you two DO realise that I'm about to kick your asses for fighting, right?" The two of them immediately stopped fighting when her killing intent suddenly skyrocketed, and Jiraiya looked at her, then at her chest, then at her face again.

Noticing that he was about to get killed for 'checking her out', Jiraiya threw Naruto at her and proceeded to attempt to walk quickly back in to the baths, when Sasuke stopped him, Sharingan active.

"Jiraiya of the Sannin, as much as you hold the respect of the village, I don't take actions like those ones lightly. They will get reported to the Hokage as attempted murder and sexual harassment." Jiraiya started sweating.

"Y-you wouldn't…" Sasuke crossed his arms and smirked, Sharingan still active.

"Try me." Jiraiya's thoughts were reflected on his face.

_Shit! He's serious!_

Noticing the amount of sweat suddenly covering the Sannin's face, Sasuke smirked.

_We've got him by the balls now… almost literally. What a pervert…_

"Listen kids… maybe we DID get off to a bad start… So, um… How about I teach you a really cool Jutsu in exchange for your silence?" Sasuke smirked.

"Maybe if my team-mates can be bought off, but knowing Hana, that's not going to happen." Looking over, Jiraiya and Sasuke noted how Naruto and Hana had landed. Both had red faces. After getting over the shock of being thrown like a ragdoll, Naruto growled four words to his sister.

"Get. Off. Of. Me." Needless to say, when you train with Anko, you quickly learn that that tone means you're on dangerous ground. Hana certainly wasn't a slow learner, and complied with the order as fast as she could. As for Naruto, when he got up, his posture and expression screamed 'Zakennaiyo' (1). He turned to watch Jiraiya, and pointed his next question quite clearly at Hana and Sasuke, but with clear tones of hostility towards the old pervert. "What now?" Sasuke put his two cents in before Hana could.

"He offered to teach us a Jutsu if we let him off. Knowing what little I do about Hana, though, that's very unlikely." He turned to Hana. "Well?"

"If he wanted to get away with this one, he wouldn't have looked below my face. I hate perverts." Sasuke spoke his thoughts before the general decision on the matter.

"This guy is irresponsibility incarnate… Alright, Team 7, let's go." As they turned to leave, Jiraiya flicked through handseals.

"EARTH STYLE: SWAMP OF THE UNDERWORLD." Team 7 quickly found themselves up to their necks in dramatically altered road surface. Naruto's next word quite nicely summed up the thoughts of the entire team.

"Shimatta!" (2) Jiraiya walked over into Team 7's field of vision, turned to them, and knelt down. He was smirking.

"Well, aren't you guys in a jam? Tell you what: I'll be nice and teach you that Jutsu, as well as get you out of there, if you'll hold your silence about just now. How about it?" Thereby team 7 heard Sasuke mutter obscenities for the first time before agreeing on behalf of the team.

"Shimatta… Fine."

**Later; training ground 7:**

Jiraiya took one look at the training area and asked the first thing that came to mind.

"Aside from the obvious, what the hell happened here?" Naruto was the one to answer.

"Sasuke and Hana, that's what. Now, you said you'd teach us that technique…" Jiraiya turned.

"… and teach it to you I shall. Now, the thing you need to remember with 'EARTH STYLE: SWAMP OF THE UNDER WORLD' is that it requires at least the tree climbing exercise under your belt, because it's not forgiving if you screw up your control, so-" Sasuke spoke up at this point.

"We're already able to do the water walking exercise, so we can skip that part." Jiraiya raised his eyebrows at this.

_Three kids, GENIN no less, that can do a high Chuunin level exercise? That's one impressive team you're working with Kakashi… What else have you taught them, I wonder?_

"Fine. Then we'll move straight to the technique itself…"

OOO

(1): 'Zakennaiyo': not sure if I spelled it correctly or not, but it essentially means 'Don't fuck with me' or something very similar.

(2): 'Shimatta!': essentially the Japanese version of 'uh-oh', 'shit' or 'oh shit' in an expletive sense.

Well, I've got nothing to say except see you next chapter!

For those dropping out here: ja ne!

blazeflare01


	10. Chapter 9: Meeting

The Flower in the Snow

**I don't own Naruto or any of the familiar characters, who belong to Masashi Kishimoto, but I do own Rangiku and Hana.**

Sadly, I'm not making profit from this, either… I could certainly use it right now.

The summons poll:

Naruto:

Foxes (3) (Mood-chan, Amraphenson, Okibimaru) (WINNER)

Phantoms (1) (Blood-angel 666)

Hinata:

Wolves (3) (Ribbon-chan03, Alucard180, Mood-chan) (WINNER)

Hawks: (1) (Amraphenson)

Falcons: (1) (Okibimaru)

Shino:

Devil beetles (2) (Amraphenson, Okibimaru) (NO CONTEST)

Kiba:

Wolves (2) (Amraphenson, Okibimaru) (NO CONTEST)

Tenten:

Porcupines (2) (Amraphenson, Okibimaru) (NO CONTEST)

Sasuke:

Komodo Dragons (1) (Amraphenson)

Phoenixes (1) (Okibimaru)

Sakura:

Cranes (1) (Amraphenson)

Slugs (1) (Okibimaru)

Neji:

Hawks (2) (Amraphenson, Okibimaru) (NO CONTEST)

Shikamaru:

Deer (2) (Amraphenson, Okibimaru) (NO CONTEST)

Ino:

Ladybugs (2) (Amraphenson, Okibimaru) (NO CONTEST)

Chouji:

Boars (1) (Amraphenson)

Bears (1) (Okibimaru)

Hana:

Dragons (2) (scione, Mood-chan)

Snow leopards (2) (Amraphenson, Okibimaru)

Okay, so there are a few draws here and there, but otherwise they're pretty much determined. I'm going to re-open it for 2 more chapters for the characters who ended up with a draw, so I want you guys to tell me:

Sasuke: Komodo Dragons or Phoenixes?

Sakura: Cranes or Slugs?

Chouji: Boars or Bears?

And

Hana: Snow Leopards or Dragons?

Put the character's name, then what summoning contract you want to see them get.

And just a few notes:

1: If Sasuke gets the Phoenix contract, he won't have them until AFTER the time skip, but if he gets Komodo Dragons, he'll get them right after the Forest of Death, and won't be able to summon much for a while.

2: This poll will also affect my final decision on who in Team 7 gets a cursed seal and turns bad. It could go to any of the three, or it might happen to more than one.

3: If no-one votes for Sasuke or Hana's contracts, or they end in a draw, I'll make the decision myself and you can be surprised at it from there on in.

Right, with that aside, let's go, go, go!

OOO

The Flower in the Snow: Chapter 9: Meeting

**??:**

"You called 'Ichi'?"

"Yes, 'Juu-Ichi'. You said you wanted assigning to that group specifically, but you never mentioned why." The same figure that was observing Team 7 before narrowed their eyes before replying.

"Konoha. More specifically, the Uchiha and Uzumaki clans."

"Or what's left of them."

"It's just as 'Nii' said: The younger one desires power for revenge, while his team-mates desire it so they can show the village they were wrong. However…"

"'However'…?"

"The jinchuuriki is starting to crumble. His mentality has begun to change, as have his goals."

"As much as I hate to have to ask, there may come a time when we will have to strengthen or re-apply the seal altogether."

"I'm well aware of that. It was applied by someone from my family, after all."

"Your knowledge seems to focus largely on those particular targets…"

"Just as yours does."

"'Know thine enemy', was a quote I was raised to take very seriously."

"Then you will surely appreciate the value of secrecy?"

"Yes, but it does not stop my curiosity. What is your connection to them?"

"Though I loathe admitting it to you of all the people 'Ichi', those three are important for plans I have in the near future. Orochimaru is interested in them as well, or so I've heard."

"So, you are here for your own personal gain?"

"Technically speaking, I should answer yes, but… are you really any different?"

"Humph. Fine."

"Also, the point we talked about…"

"We discussed your request for partnership with 'Juu-Kyuu', and her thoughts on the matter. She will be assigned as your partner when and ONLY when she has proven she is up to the task she has been given."

"I see. You're very protective, though, almost as much as 'Kyuu' would be of her. I wonder… Are your intentions really as you say? Or are they something… Else?"

"Having doubts?"

"No. I don't have doubts, I have premonitions. And they all seem to be screaming that you will betray us in the end, one way or another. The pressure of running some facets of both groups will surely get to you eventually, and if it doesn't, your own guilt will. No-one can take strain like what you're under for long."

"Humph. Think what you like. I have unshakable devotion to our goals as they are right now, and I'm not about to let slip with Akatsuki, either. You focus on your own damn job for a change, and leave me to mine."

"Whatever, as long as I don't have to scrape your sorry ass off the floor if you betray us, and it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass, I'm fine with it."

"Who died and made you leader? Because it certainly wasn't me."

"Who do you think I am? I was here from this organisation's birth, and I intend to take the top spot if it comes to it that you, the current leader is taken down, just as the previous leader ordered."

"You had 'his' favour? Then you must be…"

"Being the original leader's 'highly recommended' nephew has its' advantages. I am also related in a similar way to my targets. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do, and not much time left to do it in." The shadow known as 'Juu-Ichi' 'poof'ed away.

"The next leader of the Kagayaki will be interesting indeed, don't you think…" A shadow appeared behind the one talking, Sharingan blazing. "… 'Nii'?"

"Yes. My cousin will make a fine leader in his own right, when the time comes. I just hope my foolish little brother will stop being so foolish, and accept the offer I extend him soon."

"He would make a fine 'Juu-Nii', but according to 'Juu-Ichi', there may yet be trouble. Orochimaru is on the move. You, 'Nii', will be sent as a member of Akatsuki during the Chuunin exams. I expect you to put on a good show for your Akatsuki partner: he is not as dumb as he lets on."

"Very well." 'Nii' raced off, away back to his Akatsuki partner.

"Don't slip, Itachi… 'Kyuu' will also be working on his job in that area at that point, too. If he and Kisame were to meet… Well, I'd rather not dwell on it…"

'Ichi' was left with his thoughts.

'_Juu-Ichi' has become perceptive with my training… this could be trouble if we're not careful, especially with Orochimaru having an ability I'd really rather not face. Wait… This I can use to my advantage… Heh heh… Good luck, 'Juu-Ichi', you're going to need it…_

_Especially when you face Orochimaru for us… The Akatsuki will honour your sacrifice to bring down its' traitor…_

'Hachi' walked over to him, her blue hair showing quite distinctively.

_And, for once, I'll see just how powerful the great 'Juu-Ichi' has become… Before the betrayal by myself and Konan…_

**Training Ground 7:**

"Let's see… HOW did you say this happened again?" Jiraiya was a man who had seen a lot of things, but none as weird as this before. The only thing that even came close to this was Tsunade's Chakra strength. He was currently suppressing a smile, as Naruto had used the technique he'd just learned in a completely new way:

"_**Well then, let's see your progress. First up: Hana!" Hana flicked through seals.**_

"_**EARTH STYLE: SWAMP OF THE UNDERWORLD." Jiraiya was impressed. After only a few minutes of practice, Hana could control both the size and sinking speed of her Chakra swamp. He broke free and dusted his knees off while smiling.**_

"_**Very good. It's hard to control size and density with this Jutsu. Anyways, now I want to see Sasuke try it." Sasuke obliged.**_

"_**EARTH STYLE: SWAMP OF THE UNDERWORLD." Jiraiya was quite pleased with this result, as it was what he was expecting. Sasuke couldn't control density very well, but he had at least confined his swamp to an area about two metres across.**_

"_**That was good, Sasuke, but you might want to improve your proficiency sometime, as controlling density is important, too." He uprooted his ankles, then dreaded Naruto, who had the worst self-restraint he'd ever seen since Arashi's wife. "Um, Naruto, try not to put in too much Chakra, okay?" He looked over to an area where there used to be a group of trees that Naruto had managed to sink during practice.**_

"_**Okay!" He performed the hand seals flawlessly enough. "EARTH STYLE: SWAMP OF THE UNDERWORLD!" He managed to sink Jiraiya up to his waist, Hana and Sasuke up to their necks, and himself up to his nose in the Chakra swamp he made. Most of the trees that could be seen from there dropped into the earth about a metre or so. Jiraiya's response was comical, yet serious.**_

"… _**I think this still needs some work." Sasuke was so irritated by the fact he was up to his neck in dirt AGAIN (and not by Kakashi's doing this time), that he undid some of his self-restraint.**_

"_**Naruto, you are such a loser!"**_

"_**Uull ut euees u'm mo u smucc um!" (Well at least I'm not a stuck up!)**_

"_**At least I'm not eating dirt, loser." Naruto's brows frowned.**_

"_**Mat un e urranmed, masmol." (That can be arranged, asshole.)**_

"_**Yeah, right. You can't win without bringing your sister into the fight."**_

"_**Hey Uchiha, remember that I'm right next to you, and you're antagonising both of us with that one." Jiraiya sighed.**_

"_**Hey, knock it off, all three of you. I'm going to show you how to avoid getting caught with that technique yourself if you can't control it. Watch." He performed the Jutsu again, and Team 7 gasped (or almost inhaled mud, in Naruto's case) when he rose from the ground. He smiled. "It's a simple twist on the water walking exercise. Try it." Needless to say, Naruto was the first one to get free, being the only one who had enough Chakra to force himself out of the ground straight away. So what if it was still solid when he did it?**_

_**Eventually, everyone got out. Naruto had laughed at Sasuke's expense when Hana pranked him: She'd used his ego against him to do it. He was trying to break out of the ground while it was still solid, like Naruto had. Seeing his exertion was fairly large compared to what he'd need with the swamp active, she'd used it right as Sasuke was trying extra-hard to burst from the ground. He'd burst out of the ground several feet into the air, a look of incredible surprise on his face, before gravity decided it was time for him to kiss mother earth. And kiss the ground he did-quite hard.**_

"_**Now who's eating dirt, Sasu-gay?" Sasuke spat out the offending soil, then scowled and got up, taking a ready position for a sparring match.**_

"_**Shut up and fight, loser!" The battle that followed was pretty impressive, to say the least. Naruto was using his Shadow clones far more effectively now, and Sasuke's mastery of fire was quite impressive now, too. The fight ended when Naruto used swamp of the underworld, kicked Sasuke into the air, and then threw him at the swamp, head first. Hana tore his head out of the ground while the swamp solidified, and instantly started laughing her ass off: Sasuke's hair was caked with mud that refused to crumble away, leaving him with a muddy brown duck-ass looking hairstyle. It was the fact that Sasuke could ignore this-in public, no less-that had Jiraiya gawping.**_

It was amazing how he put up with it, but considering that INO-of all the people-had passed him without a second glance, he was more than willing to let Naruto do this every other afternoon if the soil quality was good and he wouldn't be recognised by his fan club. The humiliation would be worth it if they stopped bothering him. Inwardly, he thought about getting his hair dyed and getting coloured contact lenses. He didn't wear contacts, but he knew they were available without focal altercations if you asked at a good Shinobi supplies shop nicely enough.

Nah, word would get around too fast. He wouldn't be able to keep it up, Uchiha or not.

_It's amazing how intelligent rabid fangirls can be when the situation calls for it, too._

Half of Konoha's female population sneezed.

Sasuke turned to the rest of the group.

"I'm off home. I need to-" He didn't get further than that because an explosion sounded in the village. Everyone looked at Jiraiya.

"What?" Naruto decided to answer him.

"This is your home village, so aren't you gonna check that out?"

"No. It's not my job to, even if I am on the level of a kage." Sasuke countered this one.

"Just as much reason for you to be there."

"Nope, I'd be in the way. I'm a Ninjutsu specialist, not an ANBU team member. Speaking of, they'll be there right about now. Wanna go watch?" Hana got hopeful here.

"Will you step in if we do?"

"No. Like I said, it's not my job to." Team 7 sighed as one, then moved towards the scene of the explosion. They never noticed Jiraiya sneaking away.

**A minute earlier, the scene of the explosion:**

"You know… I could almost swear your attitude is familiar." Anko was sitting in a bar, next to someone she found intriguing.

"So? It's not like we've met like this before, right?" The stranger had an attitude which didn't take much crap. Probably less than usual, considering he was sitting over an alcoholic drink. He hadn't really drunk much, though; he just kept nursing his drink while in discussion with Anko, showing that he was more alert than most might think. He was wearing a travel cloak with a hood over his head, so his face was hidden by shadows, as well as his ninja headband. The effort to conceal them was aided by his, fairly lengthy, dark brown hair. On the back of the light brown cloak was a single embroidered white feather above the Kanji for 11. Obstructing the cloak from closing fully was a red-hilted Choku-to, with a blade about 4 feet long. It was sheathed behind his waist in a sheath supported by two straps coming from a black leather shoulder harness that made it hang at an angle closer to horizontal than vertical. The hilt was to his left side, just above and behind the hip. Underneath the cloak and harness he was dressed in mostly black and grey, with the occasional bit of red trim. The dark look suited him.

"Is that so? Well then, considering that you're carrying something that I last saw being carried by someone I considered a little brother…" She primed the explosive tag under his bar stool, and leapt back, holding a kunai. "… You'll fight me for it!" The explosive tag went off, hopefully incinerating him.

"You know…" Came a voice from behind her, as a kunai was held to her neck. "…that wasn't very nice." Anko's eyes widened.

"H-How did you-…"

"A clone and a replacement technique. You really thought I didn't notice the tag? Too bad…"

"Just who the hell are you!?"

"I should be asking you the same question: I was minding my own business until you came along."

"I'll ask again: What is 'Juu-Ichi' of the Kagayaki here for!?"

"You're not in a position to be making demands, Anko." Her eyes widened.

"What? How did you-"

"I know a lot about you, Anko…" 'Juu-Ichi' smirked slightly. "…after all, you were like an older sister to me." Her eyes widened a bit more.

"You… You're…" 'Juu-Ichi' sighed lightly before speaking again.

"I would appreciate it if you told the Hokage about Kagayaki mobilising, and also the only conceivable reason why this…" He put his hand over her curse mark. "…would start hurting again. However, I would appreciate it further if you only referred to me as 'Juu-Ichi of the Kagayaki'. My actual name is too recognisable for now, and the old man would blow a gasket if he knew I was involved in all this. Old, Sarutobi may be, but I still don't want to piss him off: he's still pretty strong, and he's done me too many favours to deserve it, anyway."

"Well, that gets you off the hook for the Item in question, but about the drinking…" 'Juu-Ichi' tapped his headband, drawing her attention to it.

"I earned my headband in Whirlpool country. Old enough to slaughter missing-ninja; old enough to drink. Besides, I don't do it that often. I was hoping to meet you in here. That's why I brought 'Keigai' with me." Anko smiled a bit.

"'Ruin', Huh? Nice name." Juu-Ichi laughed. During those few seconds, he lowered the hand with the Kunai in it.

"Yeah, I thought so too. It's earned its' name if nothing else, I'll tell you. It's saved my ass a few times." Anko turned to get a better look at him.

"How long ago did you start wielding 'that blade'?" 'Juu-ichi' took the opportunity to put the Kunai away.

"3 years ago. I've gotten good, but I'm not at Mom's level yet. My sensei's quite good, actually."

"Bet you'd give Hayate a run for his money… He's really improved, but he's not at the level he should be."

"Ah, yes… Hayate. I'll have to stop by his place sometime and see how he's doing. He gotten over that cough yet?"

"Nope."

"That's a shame. He's good, but it's a distraction he doesn't need. Maybe I'll ask 'San' to help him with it sometime. I can't say when, 'cause I hardly ever see her, but I'll ask her."

"Out of curiosity, could you get me some training with your Sensei?"

"With all due respect, Tenken-Sensei is crazy, and my other Senseis, 'Ichi' and 'Kyuu', aren't that much better."

"Tenken?"

"Tenken Rasenuzu. Don't ask how I got her to teach me."

"Okay, now I'm curious. How did you do it?" 'Juu-Ichi' whispered the answer in her ear, covering his mouth so that no-one could lip-read. When he finished, Anko stayed straight-faced for a few seconds, then broke into a fit of laughter. "Now THAT is the way to earn her wrath! Good job surviving!"

"Anko-Sensei!" Came Hana's voice.

"Brat! What're you three doing here?" Anko asked upon seeing Team 7.

"Checking out the explosion." Came Sasuke's answer.

"Oh, sorry. That was my exploding tag." Anko rubbed the back of her neck and grinned one of those grins that indicated she was nervous.

"Who's that?" Sasuke was looking at 'Juu-Ichi' with some interest.

"Someone who's a friend in dark times. I'll see you three again, I'm sure. You all have great potential. Well, ja ne. I enjoyed talking to you again, Anko-Nee-Chan." He 'poof'ed away.

"Who the hell was that?" That was Hana.

"An old friend of mine, and someone that Sasuke should, by all rights, recognise."

"Was it Itachi?"

"Eh? Why would I call someone with all the personality of a brick a friend? No, it's not Itachi."

"Then how would I recognise him?"

"Tell you what, brat: since I'm in a good mood I'll help you find out. In the marriage registers of the Uchiha clan, there should be someone with a very noticeable name. Find her name in the hospital's birth records, and you'll find your answer."

"In the clan's marriage registers?"

"Yep." Sasuke sweatdropped.

"That…" He began. "…is a search that will take weeks, if not months…"

"Okay, I'll narrow it down much further for you: June of 16 years ago." Sasuke actually nearly smiled.

"Thanks, Anko-Sensei."

"Whatever. I'm off to another bar: I need some alcohol." Team 7 sweatdropped as one as Anko left.

"Well, since it'll still probably take a while, you guys want to come help me look?"

"You're actually letting us in?" Naruto just had to ask.

"Don't get used to it, loser."

"Teme."

"Dobe."

**Uchiha Compound, a little while later:**

"Whoa." The actual wording came from Naruto, but it summarised the thoughts of the entire team. The Uchiha clan's registers for marriage, birth and in cases before the massacre, death, were all filed by type, then chronologically. It was all stored on shelves. Shelves that filled a large underground room that was clearly about to be expanded before the massacre.

It was a freaking BIG large room. If there weren't any shelves in place, it could have been used as a ninja arena.

Sasuke noted this thought for later. Clearing and moving all of this would be a big job. Too big for one team of Genin.

If that team wasn't this Team 7.

Sasuke smirked. He had a plan.

"Hey Naruto…" Said badly dressed Genin turned to him. "…if you can find the area that has the marriages for June 16 years ago, I'll buy you your next lunch, whatever you want it to be."

"Alright! Free Ramen here I come! SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" The army of Naruto clones started looking around for the appropriate month of the appropriate year. Sasuke turned to Hana.

"Since even a large amount of Narutos is going to take awhile in here, perhaps I can get you something while I get some tea?"

"Got Dango?"

"Yep. Come on, it's this way." They left Naruto to continue searching.

OOO

Well, that's the final stage of the poll set, and since the next three chapters are already done, I'd say you want to vote quickly if at all. I'll give you Chapter 10 on (Hopefully) Monday, and Chapter 11 on (again, hopefully) Wednesday. Where I've put hopefully, I've put it because my internet is very fickle at the moment. The ISP is using a new (and rather glitchy) system for logging on.

If all else fails, Chapters 10 and 11 will come on Wednesday and Friday, when I'll be back in school (Damn).

Ja ne!

blazeflare01


	11. Chapter 10: Determination

The Flower in the Snow

Posting date is 3/12/10.

**I don't own Naruto or any of the familiar characters, who belong to Masashi Kishimoto, but I do own Rangiku and Hana.**

I'm not making profit from this, either, so tough luck, all you lawyers.

The summons poll:

Yeah… um, new rules on say you can't have reader interaction for voting unless it's on your homepage, so I'm cancelling it: I've also made the decisions myself now, and that includes the key ones.

While this affects the ones you could have voted for, the ones from the previous vote stay, so the really popular choices should be seen if that person gets a summoning contract.

There, I've said it. I'm also hoping to get something out of the fickle bitch that is inspiration for Teenager for the Week, too. I'm also thinking about maybe running a sequel (or even a prequel) to this fic if it gets a good enough response by the end, though that's a while off yet.

Right, since you're aware of that now, let's begin...

OOO

The Flower in the Snow: Chapter 10: Determination

**The Uchiha compound; Sasuke's house:**

"Hold on a moment. I'll get your Dango."

_It's good to have someone here who likes it. Mom used to love it, but Itachi and I never really did understand the obsession she had with it… Until Itachi found Pocky, anyways… I wonder what I'll get obsessed with…_

Sasuke was currently in the process of making some tea, when he noticed he had company.

"Yo."

"Kakashi-Sensei? Why are you here?"

"What, can't a Sensei visit his students once in a while? Besides, I have something to tell Hana and Naruto, and you may as well know as well."

"How did you know we were all here?"

"Anko."

"Right… How much did she say?"

"Not much. She was too drunk to make much sense. The basics were that you ran into an old friend of hers who now works for some shadowy organisation, and she told you to poke around in the Uchiha vaults for the information you wanted on him."

"That about sums it up. When I asked the guy directly who he was, he just called himself 'someone who's a friend in dark times'. What do you think he meant by that?"

"I have no idea, but I think Anko might. She was too drunk to mention anything other than what I've given you and something about radiance moving, which doesn't make much sense by itself…"

"Sasuke, are you okay? Oh… Kakashi-Sensei, hi."

"Hi Hana. How are you?"

"I'm okay, but I'm worried a little about Naruto… He's found your particular section, Sasuke, but he can't reach it. He's pretty angry about it."

"I'd better go then, and calm the idiot down."

"Um, sure, but don't play too rough… Chuunin exams and all…"

"I know. I'll bring him back here in one piece, but his condition overall will depend on how angry he is, and how I have to calm him down. Hopefully knowing he's kept his half of the deal will calm him down some."

"Tell him I want to see you three in here for a team meeting. That should calm him down a bit."

"Right. I'll be back soon."

**Kagayaki HQ:**

"IDIOT!" 'Ichi' yelled at 'Juu-Ichi'. 'Juu-Ichi' was, likewise, currently engaging his attitude.

"What? They aren't going to tell anyone who shouldn't know. Sasuke is too secretive, Hana is too guarded, Anko and Kakashi know when to shut up, and Naruto is currently too withdrawn to care. The only person they're likely to discuss this with other than each other is Sarutobi. It'd be nice if she would keep quiet about my identity, though… Sasuke's not ready to know about me just yet. I'm relieved he didn't recognise Keigai, though… That could have been awkward."

"Boy, if this reaches the Hokage, then it'll be known by Orochimaru! He has a damned SPY in there, for Heaven's sake! If you've blown our cover, then so help me I will…"

"Do nothing. If it comes to it, I will clean up the mess. Satisfied now you've had your temper tantrum and got me to agree to cleaning up after myself?"

"No. your actions have lead to the potential discovery of the Kagayaki by Orochimaru. If my fears become reality, then he will try to lure or manipulate us."

"Then I will deal with him if it comes to that."

"Fine, your decision. Now, I want you to find and rat out the spy. IMMEDIATELY. Do it carefully, and make sure the right people find him."

"Understood."

"…And boy…"

"What?"

"I have decided. Take 'Juu-Kyuu' with you, and brief her on the way. We can't afford for you to fail."

"Two members, huh? Fine. I'll join forces with her, then." 'Juu-Kyuu' commented on his response.

"You've lowered your standards."

"I can't afford to be fussy right now. I've lost enough time on this damn assignment already. Ugh, I hate playing with subterfuge… Let's go." 'Ichi' decided to add some motivation.

"'Juu-Ichi'."

"What now? You're delaying me."

"If you fail, I will confiscate 'Shitsunen'." 'Juu-Ichi''s eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You. Wouldn't. DARE."

"Oh, I would, child. Now, go and show us you still deserve the title 'Juu-Ichi'. Preferably BEFORE I get angry again."

"Fine… Prick…" The silhouettes of 'Juu-Ichi' and 'Juu-Kyuu' raced off in the direction of Konoha.

"Well, since you know a bit about me, and I know almost nothing about you aside from fighting skills, how about some info?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Alright, let's go with a standard introduction."

"You first."

"Fine. My name is 'Juu-Ichi'. I like training, swords, and who remains of my family. I dislike pointless or annoying questions, people who try to take my weapons away, and people with sticks up their asses. My dream… No, my ambition is to make the world a safer place for everyone who wishes to live peacefully, myself included."

"You fight because you want to live peacefully?"

"Later on in life, I'd like to live the simple life, you know? Retire, find someone, and settle down…"

"And if someone gets in the way of that dream?"

"..."

"You mentioned swords. What else can you use?"

"Mostly just the standard ninja weapons, but I can at least recognise most tools. I hear you use Senbon needles…"

"Yes." 'Juu-Ichi' stopped on a branch. 'Juu-Kyuu' stopped by him. "Why have we stopped?"

"Because we're not discussing any of this closer to Konoha than here, unless we're in a secure area where no-one else can hear us."

"I see."

"So, how about your introduction now?"

"I simply follow 'Kyuu'. There's not much else to me."

"A tool, huh?"

"Yes. You know 'Kyuu' very well, I'm told."

"We spar a lot. He likes fighting someone who can turn the tables on him."

"I see."

"What happens if 'Kyuu' decides to leave?"

"I will follow him, even in death."

"That's a sad thing. Most people would simply adopt his wishes and move on, to make his dreams happen, even if not by his hand."

"What?"

"I'm not discrediting your ways, but I will say that I disagree with some of them. How you react to that is up to you."

"I see."

"Well, can I at least know something about my partner?"

"Why know something about someone who is little better than dead?"

"Because death is not a barrier to reason, and I'm curious. The elusive 'Juu-Kyuu' is thought to be the most secretive of all of the Kagayaki, and the one that keeps the most secrets of any."

"Being observant is merely a part of my training."

"And an integral part of my training is to work with all available allies as effectively as possible. To do that, some element of familiarisation is needed."

"I see. And, if I may ask, where were you trained, and by who?"

"I want to hear more about you first. So far, I've done most of the biographical talking."

"Very well then. My name is…"

**The Uchiha compound; Sasuke's kitchen:**

"Okay, now we're all here, I can get to the point: Anko doesn't think you're quite ready to take the exams. The system this year in particular will be more gruelling, less hospitable, and frankly more lethal than most other Chuunin exams held in Konoha. It's designed to prey on the strong and the weak easily in equal share, with particular emphasis on one goal: removing any and all ninja it can. The truth is that… Well, you three might die during these exams, and Anko cares too much about you for that. If you guys want to talk about it, I figured we might as well meet each other about it." Hana's head turned downward.

"After I was trained in Snow Country, and on the way back… I thought about a lot of things… I wondered at some topics, while I skimmed over others… Trying to find answers for myself… And I came up empty-handed in the end…" Kakashi looked down.

_I know what's coming now… It looks like Team 7 will be waiting a few months to take the next exams…_

"But… I did find out one thing… one thing which made up for all of the answers I couldn't find…" Kakashi looked up, a look of surprise visible. "I found out… That if you give up, wait or even hesitate, you'll never know… You'll never know what you could have done, and it'll plague you for a long time… The kind of regret that stems from inaction… So… That's why…" Hana looked up at them, her face determined. "That's why, regardless of your choices, I'll be going! I'll enter this thing, I'll give it everything I've got, and I'll come out of the other end a stronger person, because in the end, THAT'S WHO I AM, DAMNIT!" She was smirking like Anko in a Dango factory with a banner over her head saying 'VICTORY IS MINE BITCHES!', while holding out a fist like Naruto would. Sasuke smirked.

"Hn. Make that two members of Team 7. I'm not about to throw in the towel just yet; I still need to see how far I've come as a ninja, and this is a good chance to do that." Kakashi looked at His last chance of pulling Team 7 out of the Chuunin exams: Naruto.

"If I can't pass this exam…" Hana's grin turned in to a frown. "I can't get to Hokage! AND I'M NOT GOING TO LET SOME STUPID TESTS GET IN MY WAY! BELIEVE IT!" His familiar grin finally showed itself again, and his fist stuck out like he'd just hit something with it. Hana's grin returned in full force. "BRING IT ON!"

_Well… Your confidence has surpassed mine now, and that's half the battle. The rest is all up to you. We'll see who sticks by their words tomorrow._

**Sarutobi's Library:**

"Well Anko, there you have it. They are not going to give up; they are determined to pass, and their performance in the exam is highly anticipated."

"But… I…"

"It's okay. Their confidence is surprising, and they'll need it. Their abilities are above the level of normal Genin by a considerable margin, and their teamwork is, despite surface appearances, coming together very quickly. Hana is opening up to her team-mates, and that will help her a lot in the long run. Naruto is almost ready to become a Chuunin: he has a grounding in operational planning that people 2 to 3 times his age can lack, and understands just how important teamwork is. Sasuke is a powerful ninja with mastery over many fire techniques and has decent qualities as both a leader and a team spokesperson." When Anko said nothing, Sarutobi looked over to her. "Anko?"

"It… They just remind me of… Him. He… he never…"

"I understand only too well. I lost many friends of my own through my Chuunin exams, but this group of Genin this year: the 'Rookie Nine'… They are a powerful group. Every last one of them has ingenuity and strengths that are surprising to say the least. And, Gai's team is also entering. They will doubtlessly be on the lookout for their younger comrades. There is not as much danger as you might think."

"Listen… There's someone I met today who you should know about." Sarutobi leaned forward in his chair.

"I'm listening. Tell me, what did you talk about with this person?"

"He called himself 'Juu-Ichi of the Kagayaki'. He said that Kagayaki was mobilising, and that the curse mark would start hurting again soon, so we should be ready for _'Him'_."

"Orochimaru is coming back to Konoha? For the Chuunin exams… He must be…"

"After Sasuke."

"Right… Did this 'Juu-Ichi' say anything else we can use?"

"He asked me not to mention who he really was… But I can't shake the feeling it would be bad if I didn't tell you. He… Wields the 'Keigai' blade." Sarutobi's eyes widened.

"No… Not him…"

OOO

Short chapter, cliffie, and possibly a fortnight's wait until the next chapter… If you say I'm mean for it, I won't blame you one bit. Sadly, that empathy doesn't make much difference in the face of university, so it looks like any updates before the 19th will be pretty spontaneous. Sorry, everyone.

On a brighter note, I now know exactly where I'm going with most of this story, and let me tell you, what's happening now is just a small fraction of the changes that will occur: some more obvious than others. The timeline will change DRASTICALLY, and any sequels will replace Shippuuden's timeline almost completely. This fanfic's beginning arc is almost at an end, and the action will begin within the next five chapters. Hopefully, I should get some time to finish and post the new chapters quickly, and I'll try to focus on it when I can. I get my Christmas break in about 2 weeks, so if not before then definitely something then. Promise.


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